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
Notes from Cooper Riis by Eliza Buck 7-13-12
Sensing safety takes time. I’ve been at Cooper Riis for 13 weeks now and have just acquired a level of safety that enabled me to propose a new group and move it forward to actuality. This process helps me understand the value of…
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Craig “Tomas” McAdams – Southwestern College (Santa Fe)
Internship in Maras, Peru
A couple of days ago one of the boys I meet with for individual sessions – let’s call him Steve – came in for our meeting with his older cousin, John, and I was pleasantly surprised, almost shocked when he ran up…
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The Alchemical Possibilities of Failure
by Alicia Hoffman
“My heroes are the ones who survived doing it wrong, who made mistakes, but recovered from them.” - Bono.
I agree with Bono; surviving a mistake or a perceived failure and transforming it into wisdom or a life lesson is inspiring. If you do…
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Southwestern College Alumna, Patricia Meek, Recounts a Mission of Healing in the Mountains
Sacred Relationship
“The winds end when the snow caps of Mount Blanca melt.” This is a common saying in the San Luis Valley, especially in the spring when the thirty plus gusts blow grit across one’s teeth.
It was a windy day.…
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An Art-Based Ritual
by Deb Schroder
Artwork created by Magdalena Karlick
A summer ritual in the art therapy program has begun again. We’ve started our annual “Portfolio Review” process which is a part of the transition for first year students who are ready to begin second year in the fall.
Deborah John and I will…
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Southwestern College, Santa Fe: Internship in Peru
In the beginning of my internship in Peru, I had the honor and blessing to be able to work with and learn from Andean Shaman (Paqo's). Through this journey, these men became my teachers, mentors, friends and brothers. First, I sat with Adolfo Ttito Condori, one of five…
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by Eliza Combs
Okay, so maybe not once a day, although that would be an awesome practice but at least once a week for 8 weeks or so. I loved getting to come to Seren's Art Therapy Techniques class last quarter and make my 10-minute mandala with watercolors.
This was a project I wanted to…
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Sara Martin
Artist Statement
One of the most important things I will take from my education and training in becoming an art therapist is that I can now confidently call myself an artist. I got my undergraduate degree in art, I have been making art ever since I can remember, but calling myself an…
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Termination Phase
~Group Mandala~
Betsy Sohmer & Camille Grec
Presentation Project for Art Therapy Techniques, teacher: Seren Morris
Intention:
To create a space and activity for the group to experience visual cohesion of the things we’ve learned in class while maintaining perspective of each member’s distinctive contributions.
Materials:
Two Large pieces of butcher paper
Various…
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I just spent about an hour and a half playing a board game. At work, in my office. Believe me, I know I have a great job.
One of our students, Stephanie Murphy, is getting ready to graduate and brought her Capstone Project over. Yes, that’s the board game! It’s a visually dynamic, thought-provoking and…
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ONE MOMENT LONGER
May I embrace you
One moment longer
So that hugging
Becomes Holding
May my heart be in the presence
Of your heart
One moment longer
So that longing
Becomes Loving
May our brief touches last
One moment longer
So that aching
Becomes Caressing
May our paths cross
One moment longer
…
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Final Thoughts: Maras
By Sara WIlliams
I cried after leaving Maras. It was something like a mixture of sadness and gratitude. Sadness because never again will I have the same experience. It was confusing because it is unusual for me to get sentimental about endings. It is more common to be looking to the future,…
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Don't these faces say it all!
Well I will get around to having my face in there too...but I wanted the pups to get a little press time all by themselves! The husky mix is called "Kioko" - it means "born with happiness" in Japanese and the brown one is "Suki" - also Japanese. They…
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REMEMBER HOME
Turn back towards God
Loneliness, panic, sadness, disconnection
Any sufferings
Are not punishments
They are guides
Pointing you back towards God
Towards love, towards family
How lonely Pluto must be
So far out in the darkness and cold
With only an almost imperceptible sensation of gravity calling him in
Until he remembers
And…
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Jane Cunha does a lovely job discussing her art with her client for therapeutic purposes. Click here to view video.
…
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This is another assignment for my History of Art Therapy: Current Trends class. Students were asked to bring in to class a medium sized box, recycled materials, and an idea about a scene they would like to change: Personal, Professional, or Global. This was inspired by a project done with Veterans at…
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Southwestern College Santa Fe, NM