Southwestern College Santa Fe, NM
I took Family Art Therapy at SWC in the winter of 2012, and enjoyed reading the two texts on the topic. I suppose everyone has to swim in theory in these studies wherever they are, but I was relieved that we did experiential work in the classroom. Most importantly, I am glad we did art.
Genograms are a common tool used by a family therapist. Those squares, circles, lines, squiggles, and so on, are how we map out our family of origin and the important people in our lives. When I first saw an art-based Genogram I smiled from ear to ear. A student had very thoughtfully painted a menagerie of animals critically placed on the canvas. There was a fox, a lion, sheep, rabbit and more. Each animal representing a family member. This depiction shared so much more than the typical Genogram. When it was my turn to create an art-based Genogram of my family, I am relished the time I spent with that art project.
About the Moderator
Dru is a graduate of the SWC MA in Art Therapy/Counseling program. In her spare time, she serves as the Director of Enrollment Services at SWC and has a private practice. She is the proud guardian of two pups – Kioko and Suki and is a huge animal lover!
