TIME CRYSTAL
After W.S. Merwin
I see that I will be lying
in a patch of shriveled Juniper berries
all skin and seed
their life has fled like dead stars
their juice glimmers elsewhere
their juice glimmers in me
as I remember, piney and sweet
desert pearls embedded…
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Rising Hope:
At first,
I see the road ahead,
to be long, and
treacherous.
The mountains I see,
as steep,
and unforgiving.
I feared,
challenges unknown,
and obstacles well-placed ahead of me.
At times,
I stumbled,
from the weight of all I carry.
But,
I feel my spirit,
ignited once more,
rising above the…
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An Allegiance to Gratitude for Southwestern: Inspired by the Onondaga Thanksgiving Address
Today we are gathered to celebrate our graduation from Southwestern college. We look upon the virtual faces around us and we see that the cycle of life continues. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other…
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Courageous Compassion at the Crossroads of Conflict is a talk President Ann Filemyr gave to Unity Santa Fe on the morning of Sunday, September 13. It is an invitation to consider what we can bring to the conflicts within and around us at this time of social unrest and global pandemic. She shares an old story…
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This is part of a series of conversations hosted by Southwestern College and held via zoom to invite sharing on pressing social topics. This conversation led by Ann Filemyr, Southwestern College President and Director of the Ecotherapy Certificate, on August 16 focused on investigating how we have been shaped by ‘colonial mind’ and how we…
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This conversation between SWC President Ann Filemyr, Ph.D., who also serves as Director of the Ecotherapy Certificate, and alumna MelindaJoy Pattison explores the benefits of Ecotherapy, especially during the pandemic with the higher levels of stress we are all experiencing. Simple ways to access nature, even on a city street or in a backyard, and…
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By Deborah Schroder
So Scruff and I have become pretty close during the pandemic. He doesn’t share his face on social media but he let me use a stand-in so you could see where he lives. He lives around and under the pretty little bridge in the back of campus. I walk out that way…
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President Ann Filemyr discusses the purpose and power of naming and living our values, especially during times of stress and change. She shares the five values of Southwestern College: service, mindfulness, empowerment, partnership and love, and how these values have been translated into actions and decisions by the college leadership team during the pandemic. Talk…
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During the pandemic and time of social unrest, similarly to many of us, reflections have been occupying most of my time. I have been ruminating on my role as a therapist and the path that led me here. My journey is nothing unique; however, during this time of transition I feel inclined to put my…
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I asked her permission to write this. It’s more her story than mine, but she doesn’t have time to write anything, being a mom of three small ones.
My daughter stopped in to pick up treats I’d made for my grandson who’s struggling. It seemed like time to check in with her about more…
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By Laura Lansrud-Lopez
At the beginning of March 2020, New Mexico experienced a statewide and rapid shift to physical distancing and stay-home requirements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and global health crisis. Even with so much unknown, the leadership team at Tierra Nueva quickly recognized the impact this might have on our clients. The…
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Photo of Whitney Tressel, taken by Adria Malcolm.
Welcome to Southwestern Soundbites! In this episode, Courtney Shackelford talks to Whitney Tressel; current Art Therapy and Counseling student, graduate assistant, travel photographer, and all around amazing human. Whitney talks about going to grad school, how the pandemic clarified her path, and the power of getting still.…
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Creativity & Healing
Social distancing does not have to limit our creativity. Are you dancing in the living room? Playing the ukulele in bed? Singing in the shower? Penning poetry by the window? Perhaps this time apart has offered you an opportunity to express yourself. What are you longing to say in this moment? So…
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Hello, and welcome to Southwestern Soundbites. In this episode, Dru Phoenix talks about her experience as someone who already had a Master's degree and later decided to pursue another Master's degree in Art Therapy. She also discusses the power of art and what led to her decision to go in this direction. Tune in for…
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By Diane Chavez
I finished grad school at Southwestern College in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2015. I never thought grad school was possible. I went to the emergency room in 2003 with a migraine. That migraine lasted ten years. That was in addition to my MS symptoms which had started 10 years earlier. This…
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As I write this, I am completing my final doctoral externship at a VA medical center in New York. My last day in the office was Friday, March 13th, after discovering three people I had direct contact with tested positive for Covid-19. I moved my caseload to telehealth the following Monday, and since then…
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Welcome to Southwestern Soundbites– quick audio clips featuring current students, staff, and faculty discussing SWC’s various certificate programs and happenings at Southwestern. This episode features Courtney Shackelford, current student in the Art Therapy and Counseling program and also admissions staff, and Dru Phoenix, alum of the Art Therapy and Counseling program and Director of Enrollment…
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By Val Valentine
Wow, what a difference a month can make! I went from a full private practice with between 25-30 face to face clients a week, to 15-20 clients per week with every session either on-line or by phone; some clients ready and discharged and some needing to take a break during this time…
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Photo by Carie King, taken on a road trip to Grand Junction, CO. Carie grew up in Maine with a wildlife biologist / photographer, so her appreciate of Earth’s beauty is life-long. Colorado’s lakes and mountains rival Maine’s.
Message from Carie:
I think I’ve been experiencing “stages of grief” … (I’ve definitely gone through…
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Aloha my Southwestern colleagues!
My name is Tess Yong Kim, and I am a graduate of 11/10/2018.
I began my clinical practice on 2/6/2019 as an LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor). I’ve been working throughout this COVID-19 pandemic. I Just ended my weekly, “Substance Abuse Group Therapy,” with 8 clients through the Zoom video at…
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A Message of Reassurance
Dear Students,
Today I was deeply moved to read the responses to the student survey distributed by our Student Success Team under the leadership of Emilah DeToro, Director of Student & Career Services. I was touched by a student who wrote that they would like a “message of reassurance from…
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By Deborah Schroder
An individual Zoom meeting with a student inspired me to think about this, and I so appreciate that. The student was wondering how faculty members were working to keep the heart of Southwestern present as we implement these new ways of teaching and “seeing” clients.
Prior to my first class this quarter,…
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Photograph by Whitney Tressel at whitneytressel.com.
Welcome to another episode of Southwestern Soundbites– quick audio clips featuring current students, staff, and faculty discussing SWC’s various programs and happenings. In this episode, Courtney Shackelford speaks with current Art Therapy and Counseling student, Ben Miller, on his journey to Southwestern, his art, and his experience in Southwestern's…
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By Kate Latimer
The work of a counselor is inherently ironic, and often misunderstood. We are shepherds of grief, sadness, doubt, fear and anger, and know that when we can help our clients feel these things, and look the pain in the eye, healing occurs. This is the transformational paradox. We often feel worse before…
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