by Allegra Borghese
There will never be another ‘first client.' The feeling is so exciting. All the preparation of the last two (and probably more) years was present at the moment I first shook my client’s hand. Of course, nerves are present too, but it felt so right being in this role. I stepped into…
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A dual degree in Counseling and Art Therapy will serve you in the job market FAR better than an Art Therapy master's alone. The number of jobs for which you would be eligible increases exponentially. …
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by Natascha Holmes
(written Oct 5, 2013)
Moving to Santa Fe at the end of July gave me a great opportunity to get to know my new home town way ahead of schedule; or so I thought. Most of my time before the start of school was spent traveling to other states, working on writing…
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by Natascha Holmes
(written Oct 2, 2013)
Moving to Santa Fe at the end of July gave me a great opportunity to get to know my new home town way ahead of schedule; or so I thought. Most of my time before the start of school was spent traveling to other states, working on writing…
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Day one with the kids complete. What utter fun!, and I have limited internet access. I didn't meet Carol, by the way. She was on a journey to Machu Pichu, but I met her foreman and got a tour of the gardens, and of course, walked the labyrinth.
I met Joshuri at…
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Sometimes a concept flashing through my mind can be made clearer when I paint it. I grab the "thought" and infuse it with all the feeling and sensation that exists beyond words. I stir it around in the paint and lay it out on the canvas. Here is an example of using my art to…
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The Students of Southwestern College
by Claudia Escareño-Clark
I LOVE this time of year. The leaves have begun to turn, and there is a distinct nip in the air. While part of me feels it is a time to slow down and reflect, I am caught up in the excitement of a new school…
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by Amy Hautman Bates
I am settling in after a year of New Mexico life. Before this, I lived in Minnesota and North Carolina; both much greener, wetter and predictable than this. Since moving here, I have heard many wonderful stories of strange events in the "Land of Enchantment". I haven't seen an alien (yet)…
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2nd Year Student Looking Back to Year One
Written by Sara Beth Patrick as an incoming student.
I have just finished my first week of classes at Southwestern College. It has been quite a transition. Moving from Ohio to Santa Fe, living in the suburbs to living in the country, getting into and choosing…
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By Allegra Borghese
I appreciate the change in seasons. As the temperature and colors shift, I am forced to change up my routine, feel things differently, and assess my choices. Mid-September is a world away from mid-July. I observe the subtleties in how I am thinking and seeing; I am different. My hair can no…
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Andrew Fearnside's Blog Series offers unique, poignant and tragi-comedic insights into the work of being a therapist. He is a graduate of Southwestern College.
3,000 Hours: The PO (Probation Officer)
Court-ordered clients [hereafter referred to as patients] bring their PO into therapy with them. As the therapist, I have to handle this complication,…
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by Debbie Schroder
I seem to need to continue the idea of a summer reading list. I don’t understand why, because my summer is always as busy as the rest of the year. The fantasy of a book and lemonade out on the front porch is just that – a fantasy. I don’t even…
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The Insurer
by Andrew Fearnside
3,000 Hours: Meeting The Auditor
I've got this image of The Insurer lurking in me, down deep where it's dark and close and stuffy. He's tall and hefty and ten plus years older than me. He's got a crappy grey Men's Wearhouse suit on, old loafers, and a waistcoat:…
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This video is an amazing piece of inner reflection, exploration, engaging the shadow side of a "nice person" coming to peace with all she finds.
Amazing piece by Amy Hautman-Bates
(Mural featured in photograph is from Southwestern College Art Therapy/Counseling students' Capstone project...)
…
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By Michelle Walker Harkey
If life is a test, I think I just marked an incorrect answer this morning. As a volunteer at the Los Alamos Triathlon, my stated assignment was to keep a designated part of the course safe by keeping spectators on one side of the ribbon and participants running the correct direction…
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Today I attended the first of a two-day Phoenix-based EMDR conference with Columbian born Ana Gomez. Ana is reputed to be a leader in EMDR implementation, research, and development of protocols for children and adolescents.
Her presentation today began with a liturgy on the importance of metaphors (Thanks, Jim Nolan!) in reaching…
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I moved to Santa Fe from Texas in August 2012 to start my first year at Southwestern College. It was a hard move for me because I basically uprooted myself from a place I called home for 15 years, leaving my family and friends behind. It was rather lonely for me until I met Paloma…
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by Amy Hautman Bates
We talk a lot about language at SWC. What are you saying? What do you really mean? This careful attention to words is part of the school’s mission of “Transforming Consciousness Through Education.” And in a way, transforming education through consciousness.
A huge step in gaining self-awareness is hearing what is…
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By Molly Doerner
"Bwoof... my name is Graham. Molly was my Mama for almost exactly 15 years and 4 months. We had so much fun together - walking, hiking, watching movies (Charlotte's Web was one of my favorites!!), going for rides & getting treats at drive-through windows all across the country. I'm pretty sure we…
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My Personal Take on Family Constellations
by Beza Addis
In my 3rd quarter I had the opportunity to participate in a class activity that left a great impression in me. The activity was centered on family constellation and its influence in a counseling therapeutic setting. After listening to our guest instructor, Naomi, explain how…
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Lessons from my Multicultural class
by Beza Addis
In my multicultural class we each had to select a topic that is focused on multicultural issues which has bearing in our personal life and future work with clients. As an immigrant minority, it is a benefit to myself and to those I come across to be…
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Using Art to Slow Down and Feel Loss
by Allegra Borghese
I had a nervous breakdown my freshman year of college due to over exertion in athletics and an insistence upon academic perfection. The compulsion to achieve and appear on top of everything was a chronic addictive pattern that was not serving me anymore. Art…
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In our Group Dynamics class we looked at who we were in our original group– our family of origin. It helps to see how we came to operate in groups the way we do.
My brother is a physicist, a painter and an optical illusionist. Although we were born with the same parents, in the…
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by Debbie Schroder
The front door was already open and as I opened the sliding glass door to my patio, a fierce gust of wind blew through my house, lifting an antique plate and a figurine right off of the shelf they were on. They crashed to the floor in jagged pieces as I quickly…
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It’s been raining. I am wet up to my knees. Cold and overcast. I am already primed with fear because I saw a black bear on the side of the road on my way here. Sure enough, a few minutes into the bush and there is fresh bear spore... less than a day old, I’d say. I retrace my steps…
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Southwestern College Santa Fe, NM