Voices in America chose Southwestern College/New Earth Institute as a unique, unsung, yet storied institution, to feature in television slots between full PBS broadcast shows.…
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A simple question. What is astrology?
I would say astrology is a way to live in connection with natural cycles of time. It is also the correlation, “as above, so below.” We are a part of a connected universe and it’s cycles. For thousands of years, people have been making correlations to the happenings…
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It’s been approximately 60 days since I packed up Lotus, my 2003 Honda Pilot, with all of my belongings that I could fit into it so I could relocate to Santa Fe to pursue my MA degree in Art Therapy & Counseling at SWC! Yes, I left the “Charm City” (Baltimore, MD), leaving my beloved,…
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Being a Counselor Activist
I was outraged from an early age. They say if you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention, so I guess I was paying attention. In 8th grade I protested my Spanish teacher who insisted that even the Mexican and Guatemalan kids in our class speak Spanish with a Castilian lisp, asserting…
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Liberating Loan Lessons for Life
You finally figured out a career path and maybe even the college you want to attend, but now you are faced with the daunting task of figuring out how to pay tuition and it seems that your only option is to take out student loans. You do the math and…
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Early on in my graduate internship at a family counseling agency, a supervisor told me, "We have the best jobs in the world, for we get to witness, hold and create change." I remember being pulled by those words, but I do not think I truly understood what they meant, and I am still unraveling…
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Poem in Third person about your wildest love
A Boy & His Sketchbook
There once was a introverted boy, most people associated him with being shy, living in the projects. The boy didn’t have many friends; to be honest he didn’t like his fellow classmates. They were into sports, smoking/selling weed, and joining gangs. All…
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Council of All Beings
The Ecotherapy Certificate Program under the leadership of Dr. Ann Filemyr, Director of the Ecotherapy certificate program and President of Southwestern College, hosted a ceremonial weekend, October 28-30, 2016 to honor and celebrate our kinship with all beings. We became the Council of All Beings. Below are a few of…
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What the Writing Group has Meant to Me – Jaylek Ahn
While difficult to put into just a few words, I am so grateful for the depth of emotion, opening, closing, re-opening, awe and reverence that I’ve experienced in the presence of fellow writers that have come to mean so much to me, as has…
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I’m the chairperson of the Art Therapy/Counseling program. I moved to Santa Fe to teach at Southwestern College in 2002, and continue to be delighted by the insightful art therapy provided by our students during Practicum and Internship. It’s been an honor to witness our students as they blossom into therapists. And actually, I also…
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Ron is the Landscaping Director at Southwestern College. You have seen him around a thousand times, and if you’re lucky, you have had opportunities to talk with him. He is a really interesting guy, with a wide and colorful background.
Ron was born in Chicago, and, well---I’ll let him tell you…
“I grew up…
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Lee Cartwright, M.A.
I have a private practice that focuses on helping people resolve the biological/energetic basis of trauma.
I feel deeply honored to do the work I do. I am also blessed to be a presenter in the Trauma, Grief & Renewal certificate program and at the College's Annual Transformation and Healing Conference. Although all of the modalities…
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Southwestern College is really defined by the extraordinary individuals who work there–the staff, instructors, and the board members. In an effort to give you a more intimate sense of our school, we are launching the “Who’s Who at Southwestern College” series so that you will get to know these extraordinary people who change lives.
So…
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How Quitting School Was the Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me
Charmayne Kilcup, Ph.D.
At the young age of 23, I was bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and sure I wanted to be a therapist. I had just graduated college and knew that furthering my studies was the next step in my career. I had fallen in…
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Looking for a Therapist?
I was looking for a therapist. (And I have heard my story from countless others…)
I looked on my insurance company’s page, “Looking for a Therapist", or something like that. There’s very little information, maybe a photo (too often from 10 years and 30 pounds ago), and a long checklist of…
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For the past 8 years I have worked at county community health agencies in Oregon providing therapy, case management, forensic program oversight and clinical supervision to chronically mentally ill populations (and the teams that serve them) in three different counties. I am currently a Program Manager for a Community Supports Team, and in the next…
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Arianna Gray, MA, LPC
One of the greatest gifts of my education at Southwestern College was being taught to pay attention to my own body and feelings when I’m in session with a client and to TRUST that information as a diagnostic and treatment approach tool. I meet so many people who trained at other…
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“Who’s Who at Southwestern College”
Southwestern College is really defined by the extraordinary individuals who work there--the staff, instructors, and the board members. In an effort to give you a more intimate sense of our school, we are launching the “Who’s Who at Southwestern College” series so that you will get to know these extraordinary…
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Marika Richards Dillon talks about the professional adventures her degree from Southwestern College has afforded her...…
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Valerie Valentine has created a rich, rewarding and successful career with the skills she learned at Southwestern College. …
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Lisa Ramirez, M.A., LCDC
Women’s Behavioral Health Coordinator, DSHS
I graduated from the Art Therapy/Counseling program at Southwestern College in 2005. My career thus far has been primarily focused on advocating for women and their families affected by substance use disorders. My interest in working with women can be traced to early childhood experiences with gender…
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Growing up in Switzerland, I developed a passion for Circus Arts and Clowns. When I moved to NYC, I was introduced to the Big Apple Circus and became a board member for 11 years. I clowned around with the professional Clown Care Unit of the Big Apple Circus and also met Patch Adams with whom…
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Cynthia Fulreader
Beginning while I was still a student, and since graduating from Southwestern College in 1995, I have been blessed with many wonderful work opportunities in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM.
In addition to maintaining a thriving part-time private practice, I have held the following positions: Family Therapist with New Vistas Early Childhood…
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“Movement Like Breathing” by Diane Chavez, MA, LMHC
November 15, 2015
My doctor told me the other day that I have Secondary Progressive. “You have permanent damage in your spinal cord.” Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the protective covering surrounding the nerves of the central nervous system.
…
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Southwestern College Santa Fe, NM