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My Methods
Art Therapy
"It may look like a craft class, but art therapy is a serious technique that uses
the creative process to help improve the mental health of clients...based on the belief that the
creative process is healing and life-enhancing...a skilled therapist can use the client's works of
art...as springboards to help her gain personal insight, improve judgment, cope with stress and work
through traumatic experiences." (Psychology Today website)
I have found that through the use of expressive arts, my clients have
been able to make wonderful breakthroughs in therapy because it has allowed them to let go of their
natural defenses that come along with traditional talk therapy. You do not have to be an "artist" to
be able to benefit from Art Therapy. In fact, the benefits of Art Therapy have more to do with the
process than with the final product. For instance, I was working with a child who struggled with
excessive worries. I invited him to draw his worry and then write a story about it. This allowed him
to externalize his worry, name it, manipulate it and gain control over it. The art process gave this
child the tool to better understand his "worry" and feel less threatened by it.
Humanistic
"The humanistic method takes a positive view of human nature and emphasizes the
uniqueness of the individual. Therapists in this tradition-who are interested in exploring the
nature of creativity, love, and self-actualization-help clients realize their potential through
change and self-directed growth. Humanistic therapy is also an umbrella term for gestalt,
client-centered therapy and existential therapy." (Psychology Today website)
My role as the therapist is to facilitate my client's own personal journey of self-exploration and
self-actualization. But since the ultimate goal is for my clients to gain empowerment, it's
important that I not simply lead their journey. A metaphor I often use with my clients is that we
are taking a journey into their dark cave together; they are not alone and this comforts them. I
provide a flashlight, so to speak, which illuminates areas that may have been overlooked or
unfamiliar to them. However, they ultimately take charge of their expedition so they can move on
with confidence and comfort beyond the dark cave. When working with young children, I involve the
parents when deemed appropriate since they are the primary leaders in their child's well-being.
Play Therapy
"Generally for children ages 3-11, play therapy is a form of counseling that
relies on play to help therapists communicate with children and diagnose their mental health.
Because children develop cognitive skills before language skills, play is an effective way to
understand a child. The therapist may observe a child playing with toys-such as a playhouse and
dolls-to understand the child's behavior." (Psychology Today website)
A child's natural way of expression is through play. A child who has
experienced psychological trauma is more apt to express their internalized struggles through
re-enactments and play. I use both play and art therapy as tools in assessment and also to help the
child process threatening and scary events in a non-threatening and familiar manner.
Family Systems Therapy)
"Family Systems therapists view problems within the family as the result not of one particular
member's behaviors, but of the family's group dynamic. The family is seen as a complex system having
its own language, roles, rules, beliefs, needs and patterns. The therapist helps each individual
member understand how their childhood family operated, the role within that system, and how that
experience has shaped their role in their current family." (Psychology Today website)
The Family Systems approach is beneficial not only when engaging in
family therapy, but in individual therapy as well. Understanding the roles that we have played in
our families of origin helps us understand the relational dynamics we sometimes struggle with in our
current relationships. Before we are able to change dysfunctional dynamics, we must first understand
them.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
"CBT...is based on the belief that thoughts, rather than people or events, cause our
negative feelings. The therapist assists the patient in identifying, testing the reality of, and
correcting dysfunctional beliefs underlying his or her thinking. CBT is a structured collaboration
between therapist and client and often calls for homework assignments. CBT has been clinically
proven to help clients in a relatively short amount of time with a wide range of disorders including
depression and anxiety." (Psychology Today website)
CBT allows one to focus on the "here and now" and map out a correlation
between one's belief system and one's actions. For example, while facilitating an Anger Management
Group for men, I asked the participants to map out the early, middle and late stages of an incident
that ultimately led to an explosive and hurtful conclusion. Mapping out these different stages
(i.e.: physical feeling, physical behavior, thoughts, feelings, actions...) showed them a pattern and
taught them to understand when they began to lose insight and self-control.
Psychology Today's website:
www.therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/content/therapy_methods.html |
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