Part 2, if you missed it…
Part 3: How Using Ownership Language Changes My Worldview
By changing the statement from "we" to "I" in this entire blog series I have shifted my perception of life. I no longer blame “society” (you, we, or any form of “other”) for what I am perceiving as a…
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Honoring the Spectrum of Self
On May 20, 2016 the Wild Heart Gallery hosted the opening night of Honoring the Spectrum of Self, an exhibition where Southwestern College staff, faculty, and students were invited to investigate the sacred pieces that have shaped them as an individual or within the collective. The show featured a variety of works installed within…
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Honoring the Spectrum of Self
On May 20, 2016 the Wild Heart Gallery hosted the opening night of Honoring the Spectrum of Self, an exhibition where Southwestern College staff, faculty, and students were invited to investigate the sacred pieces that have shaped them as an individual or within the collective. The show featured a variety of works installed within…
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Part 1, if you missed it...
Part 2: Practical Examples of Ownership Language
I look around and see so many things that say "Stop doing THIS!" or "Don't do/think/act THIS way!" or even "Fight THIS!"
With so much negative bombardment, is it any wonder I feel so overwhelmed and defeated much of the time, especially…
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Part 1: What is Ownership Language
In many of my classes our teachers have been training us to use “I statements” during discussions. For example, it applies when you fall into the habit of using we, or you, when you actually mean “I” in a statement, as I just did in this sentence. See what I…
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Summer Beach Reading from the “Sea of Whiteness”
I remember seeing lists of books in magazines that were deemed appropriate for “summer beach reading," the assumption being that we all deserved a break from heavier reading material during the summer. I like that idea, in theory. But the truth is that I read what I…
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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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Featured Artwork: Mandala Buddha, acrylic on paper, 36"x24", 2012, Tejal Murray
Over the last few blogs, I’ve been exploring Stephen Cope’s The Great Work of Your Life in a general way with examples from my own life. Today, I’m going to dive more deeply into the teachings by profiling one of Southwestern College’s graduates.
…
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Hello! My name is Beth Lykins, and I am a current student at SWC. I am starting my final quarter of my first year in the Art Therapy and Counseling program, and I wanted to share a student’s perspective of life at SWC. I am attending part-time, so I generally take two courses per term.…
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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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We are asked to look within ourselves in our first few classes here at SWC. This process varies from person to person. For me, it has been an incredible opportunity to work on some issues I had thought were already worked through. It only goes to prove the cyclical nature of self-exploration and personal growth.…
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The recent crop of counselors and art therapists from Southwestern College commenced on November 7, 2015 at the James A. Little Theater at the New Mexico School for the Deaf in Santa Fe. It was a beautiful ceremony unlike any other I have attended, and being a former college professor myself, I have seen quite…
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Students at Southwestern College show mastery of content in creative ways.…
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On Monday evenings there is an informal gathering of writers in the art studio building on the campus of SWC. Facilitated by Ann Filemyr, this group in dedicated to self exploration and expression through writing. The rules are simple: keep your hand moving, suspend judgment, and it is OK to write bad stuff. The exercises…
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I’ve always been the type to give my time, energy and love to just about everything except for myself. I eat junk food, I can’t keep a sleep schedule to save my life, and I only exercise on accident. I was able to get by doing the bare minimum for myself and not thinking too…
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I have had the honor of watching the power of art therapy first hand, in my personal life recently. I asked my husband if he would mind if I shared this story, and he told me to go ahead, so I would like to share it with you. It is a true testament of how…
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It was during my second week at Southwestern College, the second meeting of Tuesday’s Psychology of Altruism class, that Ann Filemyr presented us with this lesson: “reduce shame, enhance love.” We talked about feelings of shame and the aching, overwhelming presence it can have in our daily lives. Shame that can continually haunt us whether…
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This morning I was chatting with one of my lovely classmates about our first two weeks at Southwestern College. She said something that instantly resonated with me- “I feel like we’re at Hogwarts!”
Thinking more about this humorous comparison to Harry Potter, I began to see more and more striking parallels. We are summoned here by…
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“Interesting how you are only using a black sharpie marker in your art today,” says my art therapist, as she gently points out my visible tension with perfectionistic, black and white thinking….…
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Come Undone by Laura Schoff
I feel with such a passion that art has the capacity to heal in many different ways. It has been my support, my processing, my guide, my inner world displayed. Without this art, I may have not have completed my first classes at Southwestern. A year and a half(ish) ago,…
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Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations. ~Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Oh, yes, yes I do… like big books, art therapy and counseling tomes (including books about expressive arts therapies and indigenous and ancient healing traditions) and I cannot lie. One of the best…
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2nd Year SWC student Caitlin Harper explores her perspective on the use of humor in counseling. …
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Southwestern College Santa Fe, NM