I think I Shall Stay

My experience at Art and Soul has been more than just an introduction to the field of art therapy. Over the past few months I have made new friends and gained a family within their community. Further, I think that the clients have taught me just as much, if not more, than I have taught them. Working with this group of homeless individuals has changed my perception on life as a whole. I have always been a person driven to succeed and motivated to earn money and advance my social status. However, being around those far less fortunate than myself has changed my stance on material possessions and made me far more grateful for the things I have. I see their happiness despite their situation and feel that I need to be less concerned with materialism and social status because they have shown me that happiness comes from things much more valuable than material possessions. 

I hope that in some way I have touched their lives because I know that they have touched mine. I plan to continue working at Art and Soul despite the end of my service learning and hope that my time there will further my personal growth.

Celebrate your Victories

Learning about working within the helping professions has brought a number of things to my attention. One of those things is self care and avoiding burnout and compassion fatigue. To avoid these negative symptoms I found that it is necessary to celebrate even the smallest victories made through the therapeutic experience.

During a recent session, I had a client come up to me and thank me for teaching him about glass art. He said that it made him feel like more of an artist and he felt at ease when he entered the studio because he found our sessions relaxing. Although he did not express any emotional or mental breakthrough or self discovery, I was so pleased to hear that his time working with me brought him peace. I know this gentleman has not been dealt the best hand in life and the inner peace he finds working with me is in and of itself a little victory! So, I will celebrate my small victory and know that I have had some positive results in my therapeutic endeavor!

So, How is that Art Therapy?

During my time at Art and Soul I have primarily worked with clients to created glass art projects. I was recently asked by another volunteer, how is this therapeutic? She was by no means criticizing but was curious about the Art Therapy discipline. I explained to her the idea of process centered and product centered art therapy techniques and showed her some of the work we have done. I shared with her the sensation of grinding down and smashing the glass. I allowed her to touch the finished art pieces and enjoy the pleasing texture that the clients find so rewarding. After explaining her to her that much could be learned through the clients composition, use of color, and choice of color, I explained that my program was very process focused and my clients left the session relaxed and invigorated.

This conversation was one of my first victories working in the AT field because during our conversation I saw the "light flick on" and she was so engaged in what I was showing her and describing. Even better, when my clients arrived and she asked them about their experiences working with glass, they spoke so favorably that I cant explain how great that felt inside!

And We Give Thanks

Yesterday was the Art and Soul Thanksgiving celebration and it was amazing to stand back and see the family that this little organization has created. The majority of volunteers and clients were in attendance and everyone arrived with a smile to partake in the holiday festivities. The room was electrified with contagious happiness.

Before enjoying the holiday meal, everyone gathered to form a large circle and, standing hand in hand, announce what they were thankful for this holiday season. Despite the fact that the majority of those in attendance are homeless, they all expressed a number of blessings including their religion, art, and the family that has grown through the Art and Soul program.

I still have a lot to learn....

Through out my educational endeavors I have always used my educational opportunity to learn as much as possible. However, a recent experience at Art and Soul exemplified mow much I still have to learn. I recently encountered a man who really put me back a few steps!
This client differed from the population I usually encounter. Most of the population I encounter is homeless but this gentleman was well dressed, handsome, and at first glance I thought he must be there to work rather than to seek services. However, upon talking to him I was reminded of the old adage "Never judge a book by its cover!"
The client explained to me that he was a messenger from god, referred to colors having a numerical value, and informed me that he was soon leaving for Hollywood to marry the popular musician Rhianna. I was dumbfounded by his delusions and description of colors having a numerical value. For the first time working at Art and Soul, I was taken back and had little idea how to reach this client on any level. I now see that you never really know what you may encounter working in the counseling field! However, I will reflect on this as a learning experience and am even more motivated to learn about the multiple psychological conditions that exist and how to best reach the wide spectrum of clients I may encounter.

Expressive Therapies

As I learn more and more about art therapy I find myself wondering about other methods of expressive therapy. Recently, Art and Soul has introduced a poet to the group who will be coming in once a month to do poetry workshops with the clients. 

Honestly.....I was not necessarily interested in participating because I am just not a fan of poetry. Something about it feels juvenile to me. I assume that this is because when I was in middle school it was cool to write poetry and that just removed the validity of poetry writing for me!

Anyways, I was amazed at how engaged the clients became during the poetry sessions. From down the hall you could hear the open expression of emotion without even needing to hear the exact wording. You could even feel the intensity and emotion change as the amateur poets took turns reading their work.

So.....I guess I will work on removing the negative stigma I have placed on poetry! But most importantly, I think I would like to learn about a variety of expressive therapy techniques!

Perception is a funny thing!

I recently encountered an incident where a client was not pleased with the outcome of a group art project. The group art project was fantastic, accepted into a prestigious art competition, and accepted! The mere acceptance was enough for the staff and participants to be excited as pieces from around the world apply and only so many are accepted. Further, the group art piece came in 25th which seemed another bonus.

However, a specific client found no gratification in being accepted or placing 25th. In fact, she felt as if the entire thing was a failure and placed blame on the staff who guided the project. I was very bothered by her statements and I had to take a step back and consider a few things to help me understand her.

Has she experienced so many disappointments that this feels like another failure?
What is stopping her from celebrating such an accomplishment?
Are guided group projects ill fitted when working with this client?
  
Additionally, I had to ask myself a few questions about me.

What so bothered me about the clients emotional response?
Why am I so easily irritated when people are less than gratuitous?

Situations like this open my eyes to the many possible situations I will encounter when I am working in the field. I see the value in supervision and see that I still have a lot to learn about myself as well as being an effective art therapist!