Healing through art
Opportunities to heal from trauma offered at art
therapy sessions
Sometimes
it takes a blow torch to fix what's broken.
During
the Women's Circle of Creativity, Healing and Art Therapy it could take putting
a paint brush to canvass, a hack saw to a super hero doll or a blow torch to
pretty much anything else to get to where a woman needs to be in her healing
process.
The
eight-week program of self-care, learning, sharing and ARTifying started Sunday
at the University of Northern B.C. This will be the sixth session offered in
partnership with the Northern Women's Centre.
There's
no art background needed, just a willingness to explore a variety of art forms
during the quest to heal the soul, purge the pain, and renew the spirit under
the guidance of facilitator Si Transken, who has taught social work and gender
studies for 16 years at UNBC, is a registered social worker and is now
completing her training as an art therapist at the Vancouver Art Therapy
Institute.
"One
of the core things in social work is to never do harm," said Transken.
"Never lead people anywhere they didn't want to go. So when people get to
a certain point in art therapy it's not my burden to tell them where to go,
it's my burden to ask them where they want to go - does it feel like red paint?
Green paint? Do you want a hack saw? I have a torch. It's organic and I
facilitate and nudge and encourage with what they've already said is their best
direction. So I never, ever have to fear that someone is going to leave here
feeling overwhelmed or over wrought."
Shelly
LeBreton, a new social worker who works with the Northern Women's Centre, has
taken the art therapy session with Transken twice so far.
"Your
life changes with education and the power around it and understanding that the
stuff that's out of your control - the system stuff that you don't have as much
influence over - and putting your feelings about it there (on the canvass)
really helped me step back from some of the agony I was in and during the whole
art therapy process I didn't even know what I was creating in the moment I was
creating it," said LeBreton. "In social work we always talk about
having faith in the process because the end result will be true."
LeBreton
said she has had great results from the art therapy.
"I
have had therapeutic results, I have had self-care results and I have had
just-playing-with-glitter results, too," said LeBreton, who is a victim of
sexual violence. "I have walked in being a total mess and after the three
hours walked away from it being OK. The freedom that comes at the end of it is
amazing."
LeBreton
said she learns from the other participants, too.
"I
like hearing other people's stories because it normalizes mine," said
LeBreton. "I also see how they cope and then I get to add to my tool kit
of coping skills. The first time I experienced the art therapy one of the littlest
things that made me feel the best was that I didn't have to set it up, tear it
down or clean it up. I do all of that in so many other areas of my life it was
just nice to come here relax and purge and when I left I just felt all that
energy that you can take into your next place - sometimes that will last a few
hours, sometimes that can last the whole week."
The
session starts with participants coming together for an hour-long talk about
how the week was, sharing goals, and what some of the past and present aspects
are that need to be processed, changed or healed. This is done in a circle of
chairs and blankets, cuddly stuffed animals and art on the walls.
"So
it's very snuggly," said Transken. "Then after about an hour we go to
the art room and make art and then we reconvene to talk for another half hour
or an hour again."
Some
issues that come up during the group sessions include things like loss and
grief, marital issues, and trauma due to sexual violence.
During
the sessions, participants are not asked for details when they share.
"So
people will say 'I had a bad thing happen' and we discuss how they feel about
the bad thing," said Transken. "'I feel sad, I feel lonely, I feel
misunderstood and I feel lost,' is a response we get but they don't even have
to ever say what it was or when it happened and if they choose not to say
anything specific no one will know. So you can be in the circle and feel really
safe."
But at
the same time, it's a safe place to share it all, too, said Sarah Boyd of the
Northern Women's Centre.
"If
people do share that's OK, too," said Boyd, who has participated in the
art therapy sessions. "It's all confidential and there's that space to
bare our souls if we need it."
Nothing
is ever the wrong thing to do during the sessions.
"Some
people like to come here to play with glitter and sparkles and get away from
their kids on a Sunday," said LeBreton. "Some people come for the
therapeutic piece. I have engaged in all levels. I have found the therapy has
been really great, you can purge, you can let go. Even start a piece and get
half way through it and you realize you don't have to think about this no more
and go and start another one. And in terms of the therapy, networking with a
doctor - it doesn't get a lot better than that."
To make
the Women's Circle of Creativity, Healing and Art Therapy accessible to
everyone there are options for payment of the $200 fee. People who can pay the
fee are welcome to do so to ensure the self-sustaining program continues. If a
participant does not have the money there is an opportunity to volunteer at the
Northern Women's Centre for 10 hours, doing tasks they are comfortable doing.
The
Northern Women's Centre is always looking for donations of supplies, including
traditional art supplies, broken toys, broken jewelry, broken mirrors, broken
dishes, wall paper, old books, magazines, cards, small trinket boxes, shells,
yarn, masks, dowling, wrapping paper, and anything else people would like to
donate that can contribute to making unique art.
For
further information call Boyd at 250-960-5632 or e-mail her at empower@unbc.ca.
© Copyright 2016 Prince George Citizen.
Sometimes it takes a blow torch to fix what's broken.
During the Women's Circle of Creativity, Healing and Art Therapy it
could take putting a paint brush to canvass, a hack saw to a super hero
doll or a blow torch to pretty much anything else to get to where a
woman needs to be in her healing process.
The eight-week program of self-care, learning, sharing and ARTifying
started Sunday at the University of Northern B.C. This will be the sixth
session offered in partnership with the Northern Women's Centre.
There's no art background needed, just a willingness to explore a
variety of art forms during the quest to heal the soul, purge the pain,
and renew the spirit under the guidance of facilitator Si Transken, who
has taught social work and gender studies for 16 years at UNBC, is a
registered social worker and is now completing her training as an art
therapist at the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute.
"One of the core things in social work is to never do harm," said
Transken. "Never lead people anywhere they didn't want to go. So when
people get to a certain point in art therapy it's not my burden to tell
them where to go, it's my burden to ask them where they want to go -
does it feel like red paint? Green paint? Do you want a hack saw? I have
a torch. It's organic and I facilitate and nudge and encourage with
what they've already said is their best direction. So I never, ever have
to fear that someone is going to leave here feeling overwhelmed or over
wrought."
Shelly LeBreton, a new social worker who works with the Northern
Women's Centre, has taken the art therapy session with Transken twice so
far.
"Your life changes with education and the power around it and
understanding that the stuff that's out of your control - the system
stuff that you don't have as much influence over - and putting your
feelings about it there (on the canvass) really helped me step back from
some of the agony I was in and during the whole art therapy process I
didn't even know what I was creating in the moment I was creating it,"
said LeBreton. "In social work we always talk about having faith in the
process because the end result will be true."
LeBreton said she has had great results from the art therapy.
"I have had therapeutic results, I have had self-care results and I
have had just-playing-with-glitter results, too," said LeBreton, who is a
victim of sexual violence. "I have walked in being a total mess and
after the three hours walked away from it being OK. The freedom that
comes at the end of it is amazing."
LeBreton said she learns from the other participants, too.
"I like hearing other people's stories because it normalizes mine,"
said LeBreton. "I also see how they cope and then I get to add to my
tool kit of coping skills. The first time I experienced the art therapy
one of the littlest things that made me feel the best was that I didn't
have to set it up, tear it down or clean it up. I do all of that in so
many other areas of my life it was just nice to come here relax and
purge and when I left I just felt all that energy that you can take into
your next place - sometimes that will last a few hours, sometimes that
can last the whole week."
The session starts with participants coming together for an hour-long
talk about how the week was, sharing goals, and what some of the past
and present aspects are that need to be processed, changed or healed.
This is done in a circle of chairs and blankets, cuddly stuffed animals
and art on the walls.
"So it's very snuggly," said Transken. "Then after about an hour we go
to the art room and make art and then we reconvene to talk for another
half hour or an hour again."
Some issues that come up during the group sessions include things like
loss and grief, marital issues, and trauma due to sexual violence.
During the sessions, participants are not asked for details when they share.
"So people will say 'I had a bad thing happen' and we discuss how they
feel about the bad thing," said Transken. "'I feel sad, I feel lonely, I
feel misunderstood and I feel lost,' is a response we get but they
don't even have to ever say what it was or when it happened and if they
choose not to say anything specific no one will know. So you can be in
the circle and feel really safe."
But at the same time, it's a safe place to share it all, too, said Sarah Boyd of the Northern Women's Centre.
"If people do share that's OK, too," said Boyd, who has participated in
the art therapy sessions. "It's all confidential and there's that space
to bare our souls if we need it."
Nothing is ever the wrong thing to do during the sessions.
"Some people like to come here to play with glitter and sparkles and
get away from their kids on a Sunday," said LeBreton. "Some people come
for the therapeutic piece. I have engaged in all levels. I have found
the therapy has been really great, you can purge, you can let go. Even
start a piece and get half way through it and you realize you don't have
to think about this no more and go and start another one. And in terms
of the therapy, networking with a doctor - it doesn't get a lot better
than that."
To make the Women's Circle of Creativity, Healing and Art Therapy
accessible to everyone there are options for payment of the $200 fee.
People who can pay the fee are welcome to do so to ensure the
self-sustaining program continues. If a participant does not have the
money there is an opportunity to volunteer at the Northern Women's
Centre for 10 hours, doing tasks they are comfortable doing.
The Northern Women's Centre is always looking for donations of
supplies, including traditional art supplies, broken toys, broken
jewelry, broken mirrors, broken dishes, wall paper, old books,
magazines, cards, small trinket boxes, shells, yarn, masks, dowling,
wrapping paper, and anything else people would like to donate that can
contribute to making unique art.
For further information call Boyd at 250-960-5632 or e-mail her at empower@unbc.ca.
- See more at: http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/news/local-news/healing-through-art-1.2234345#sthash.68wIsrLH.dpuf
