My Life in in 5 Chapters
a poem by Portia Nelson
Chapter I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost ... I am helpless.
It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter II
I walk down the…
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by Magdalena Karlick
I delved into this rag rug project at the beginning of the summer, wanting to recycle old, ill-fitting, and stained clothing to make a rug for my son’s new room. I imagined a place where he could sit comfortably while looking at his books or playing with his toy animals.
Here are…
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Materials: Markers, Colored Paper, Scissors, and Glue
These days, most presents for family and friends are family creative efforts; Mama and Judah (2 1/2 years old) taking lead. My folks and my brother are all Scorpios, with their birthdays within two weeks of each other. This year we made a collage with spontaneous scribbles, hand…
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Being a new student in SWC is a rewarding, challenging, and startling experience all around. I clearly remember the expectations I had for myself and the school when I landed in Santa fe, NM.
Before starting my journey in SWC I had been in four different colleges and universities studying biology, chemistry, humanities and genetics.…
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What is healing? by Andrea Mitchell
What is healing? I was asked that question on the first morning of my first class. Actually I was asked to make artwork that represented healing to me. I made a medicine wheel, it was the first thing that came into my conscious, and I have learnt to…
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Light Figures and Consciousness: At the Core of Southwestern College's Curriculum (Santa Fe)
by Katherine Ninos, developer of the Psychology of Consciousness Sequence
As you all know, Southwestern College’s mission statement reads “Transforming Consciousness through Education.” Consciousness has always been at the center of our curriculum; indeed, our two quarter sequence “Psychology of Consciousness” constitutes…
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Perhaps you can relate to the state in which I found myself a few days ago—heart tight, body tense, mind churning, going over and over events from the far and recent past and in a useless but unyielding manner. I find myself in such a state fairly often, probably due to the fact that I…
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by Amy Hautman Bates
Artist's Block "Who is an artist when she is not making art?"
(This is a doodle, not a painting.)
In September, my partner and I packed everything we owned to move from the Southeast to the Southwest. It was very cathartic to consider everything we had and decide if and why…
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Psychopathology (and seeking Authenticity) In the Chama River Canyon
About to embark upon a day alone with Mother Earth, my Psychopathology class and I ceremonially share our hopes and thoughts before surrendering to what She has to give (or take from) us. At this point, I am well-adjusted to the process of intention-setting, and yet…
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The staff at Southwestern Counseling Center works very hard, so at our last staff meeting we decided to arrange a ceremony to call in some extra support and prayers for ourselves. Luckily, Carol Parker agreed to facilitate an authentic Peruvian ritual, more accurately, a "Becoming Despacho". Despacho translates into "dispatch," so here we are collecting…
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They say “you are what you eat” and I believe this. I believe that I consist of much of what I consume. I consume veggies…gratitude….beans….prayer…bread…self acceptance…chocolate….silence….tofu….turmoil…chips….friendships….rice…and more. I consume what is said on the TV news at night…what I read in books before I sleep…what is said in my office and in business meetings…what I…
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Amy Hautman Bates, first year Art Therapy/Counseling student on her transition from Artist to Art Therapist
http://artforwellness.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/australian-aborigines-and-art-therapy/?preview=true&preview_id=53&preview_nonce=cecf41a352
I started this blog intending to write about the creative art's health and healing potential. Having been around art all my life, I thought I knew a lot about Art Therapy. But the more I read, the…
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It was a vision.
On the rising from sleep one idle morning, the young 25-year-old girl experienced something out of this world; the girl saw clearly before her, her future. At 25, the girl had spent most of her twenties up to that point confused and searching for answers, directions and guidance. It came when…
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by Deb Schroder
On a beautiful October Saturday, eight of us who teach in the Art Therapy Program gathered to share ideas, concerns and breakfast. I feel like I just want to say out loud that we have amazing, passionate teachers here!
I’m also going to say something else out loud in order to hold…
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Why Putting Things In Boxes Doesn’t Make You a Wimp
by Laura Bailey, Student at Southwestern College
There’s nowhere in the world quite like Southwestern College; that’s just scientific fact. The students who attend Southwestern are striving for authenticity and conscious transformation, and the faculty and staff of this institution are striving even harder to…
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Where Should You Go To Grad School for Counseling or Art Therapy?
By Allegra Borghese, written during her first year as an Art Therapy/Counseling student
1. CLASSROOM SIZE.
The number of students in an average class at Southwestern College is less than 15, with the range being from about 8-20 students per class, and fewer for Practicum…
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Capstone Project: Artist Statement
Suzanne Otter, Fall 2012
Making art as a way to work through complex personal issues was helpful to me during the many years I worked as an organizational development consultant. I continued this “self-art therapy” during my formal study of art therapy and counseling at Southwestern College. The image-making and journaling…
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Seren Morris talks about puppet-making as an art therapy technique.…
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Chris Chappell shares the intimate details of his clinical work at Solace Crisis Treatment Center...
I am working 32 hours a week as a bilingual clinician at Solace Crisis Treatment Center in Santa Fe. I am for the most part loving the work. I am now seeing up to 11 clients and I do…
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by Rush Cole
...blackness. Trapped. Overwhelmed. No way out. Tired, so tired. Sudden energy from the surge of self-hatred that roared through me.
“Get it over with, you don’t deserve to live!” The blade against my wrist.
The Voice, coming from a part of me I didn’t know existed. “Put down the…
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by Deb Schroder
As we prepare for the beginning of a new academic year, I take inventory of our art supplies and start compiling lists of what needs to be ordered. From teaching and making art in the large art therapy classroom I became aware this summer, of the scarcity of the color black. Black…
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Southwestern College Student's Reflections on the Therapeutic Moment
Grief like a river: Accessing the healing power of metaphor
She walked slowly, so as not to trip over the exposed pine root at her feet. Beside her a fallen Ponderosa tells the tale of years of weather and wisdom along this creek side in Southern Colorado.…
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Why I Chose Southwestern College
I believe that when you are considering Southwestern College, their mission statement will either ring true for you or it won’t: "Transforming Consciousness Through Education." While that completely resonated with me on one level, I hadn’t connected all the pieces. Often when making decisions I will rely on the ones…
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Southwestern College (Santa Fe) Faculty and Students Visit Sacred Mountains in Colorado
WAHATOYA: The Spanish Peaks of Southern Colorado
For about five years, the Spanish Peaks (or traditionally Wahatoya, which is a native word meaning the breasts of mother earth) have been yelling at me. This happens every time I drive by on I-25 headed north…
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Life is fragile
How do you continue functioning on a day like today?
How do keep studying for your matriculation exam when thoughts of terrified people keep flashing in your mind?
How do you even move, let alone do the dishes?
- You just do.
Our society does not allow for the proper amount of…
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Southwestern College Santa Fe, NM