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Student Stories

Exploring Art Therapy Theories

August 27, 2022 by Bjorn Yearwood Leave a Comment

Bjorn's artistic rendition of a global puzzle of interconnected colourful pieces.

Art therapists often utilize multiple theories and approaches in their practice, but usually have one or two art therapy theories that provide their guiding principles. When I first started studying art therapy, I had a limited understanding of a few theories and was completely clueless as to how I would build an approach. With the large volume of therapeutic models, it was difficult to find what aligned with my personal values as an art therapist, as I was not yet in a place where I felt comfortable in my approach.

To listen to this article, click the red play arrow on the SoundCloud recording below:

StoryToGo · Exploring Art Therapy Theories

Keep reading to learn about a few different art therapy theories and how I inform my approach to art therapy.

Digital drawing of a sphere containing shapes fitting together like puzzle pieces
Ideas Connecting Like Puzzle Pieces (2022), Bjorn Yearwood

The Vancouver Art Therapy Institute’s course on history and theories introduced me to some of the founding art therapy philosophies and theories as they emerged and evolved through time. Some art therapy theories felt that they were right for me but as I continued exploring them, I found that they weren’t the right fit. The same went for the theories that I was initially hesitant to embrace.

As I researched and closed any misunderstandings, I was able to identify what theories would guide my practice. My personal theory should be viewed as living and constantly evolving as I progress through my art therapy training and career. I was also advised that I should never put a theory in stone because if we create a closed system out of our theories, we will not be able to respond openly to new contexts.

A Sample of Art Therapy Theories

Going into every existing art therapy theory and approach would be quite a heavy read so I have selected a few to provide a glimpse into what is out there.

Gestalt Art Therapy

Gestalt theory focuses on the idea that change can naturally occur when someone expands their awareness of what they are experiencing in the present moment (Corey, 2011). My interpretation is that employing a Gestalt approach to art therapy would focus more on the process of the art-making and the client’s immediate perception of their art. Through the sensory experience of art therapy, clients can gain insight about their relationship with their environment.

Postmodern Art Therapy

Postmodern principles reinforce the belief that there is no one style, construct, and medium that is appropriate for every client.

Alter-Muri and Klein (2007)

Postmodern approaches to art therapy resonate with me because they promote implementing multiple approaches and using them based on what is best for the client. What works for one client may have a different outcome with another. I also tend to use a solution-focused approach when a goal is defined. I think about what can be done in the present to get to what is wanted or needed in the future. There is much more to postmodern approaches than this but these principles are what stood out to me the most and help guide my practice.

Person-Centred Art Therapy

My therapeutic approach is mainly informed by person-centred principles. If an environment has the correct conditions, I believe that people can identify problems, make their own goals, and make the effort to reach them through self-directed means. This is known as self-actualization. I aim to facilitate an environment where that change can take place.

What Is the Goal?

The client not only has to work towards change but their ideal self needs to be in harmony with how they see themselves in the present (Corey, 2011). This doesn’t mean that they need to always be at the height of their goals, but rather that they have an awareness of and hold acceptance for where they currently are on their self-actualization journey. This awareness includes the acceptance that self-actualization is an ongoing process and a continuous struggle (Corey, 2011). The congruency between the present and future-self is an important factor in the client feeling empowered about where they stand throughout the process.

Yes, I know this sounds like I’m saying the client does all the work so you’re probably wondering why an art therapist would be necessary if someone is capable of making their own change. The art therapist can provide the space and the tools that a client may be lacking so that they can start or continue their efforts towards growth. Throughout the therapeutic relationship, the client and art therapist will work together to find what is needed to meet the client’s goals. This could even mean using a completely different approach!


What’s My Approach to Art Therapy?

Digital art block with a character based on the author with overlaying text "My Therapeutic Approach"

I have already touched on this briefly but to elaborate, I take a person-centred and postmodern approach that allows me to have the client lead the session while also utilizing other approaches as they are needed. For longer sessions, I may come prepared with a warm-up activity that I find relevant to get the session rolling but I always provide the opportunity for my clients to create freely, followed by a discussion.

I typically do not provide art directives or prompts when facilitating a session because I want the client to create and express whatever is needed in that moment as opposed to following a plan I made based on our last session. I might have felt it to be beneficial then but there could be completely different circumstances or problems to work through by the next session. Of course, if it is identified that the client needs more guidance or a different approach to reach their goals and it is requested, I will come prepared with a plan.

I want to address the fact that there is much more information on the theories and approaches than I have presented, including my own. What you see is a snapshot of an expansive world. Trust me, I’ve written about 13 pages on person-centred theory alone. If you would like to learn more, please look to the references at the bottom of this article. As I continue my studies and articles, you will most likely see how my working theory continues to evolve. I’m glad to have you all on this journey.


Art Prompt: Creating With Nature

twigs and branches put together in the shape of a tree on grass

If you’re looking for a reason to get outside, then this activity is for you!

All you need to do is roam around your neighbourhood, go to a park, or anywhere that you can find objects to create with.

To the left is an image of a tree shape that I made with fallen branches and leaves. I found it interesting that what was once part of a whole tree was put back together in the image of its former body.

Please do not pluck or pull any plants or living organisms from their home when completing this activity. The goal is to find objects that have been discarded and create something new. This one is a fun activity to get outdoors but it might also provide an opportunity for reflection on your relationship with your environment.


References

Alter-Muri, S., & Klein, L. (2007). Dissolving the boundaries: Postmodern art and art therapy. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 24(2), 82-86.

Corey, G. (2011). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Cengage learning.

Filed Under: #StoryToGo, Art Therapy, Our Community, Student Stories Tagged With: art therapy, art therapy activities

Featured in Feedspot’s Top 10 Canadian Storytelling Blogs

April 14, 2022 by Erica Hargreave Leave a Comment

Feedspot's Top Canadian Storytelling Blogs

What a great way to start the day off, by opening an email from Feedspot Founder Anuj Agarwal congratulating us on being featured in Feedspot’s Top 10 Canadian Storytelling Blogs! We sit at #4, and find it rather fitting that on a list of Canadian Storytelling Blogs that a Newfoundlander sits at #1!

Have a read to discover the other wonderful sites on the list!

Top 10 Canadian Storytelling Blogs

What’s made us even happier is that after reading we decided to look up Feedspot’s Top Canadian Travel Blogs, which is a top 70 list. #12 on that list is Go Far Grow Close, a travel blog developed by one of our past students, Nicole Hunter, in our BCST 1073 (now BCST 3073) – Building Your Digital Media Presence and BCST 1193 – Social Media Storytelling. This is very well deserved, as Nicole has worked hard at her storytelling, approaching it with love, passion, and attention to details on things like SEO – continuing to build, learn, grow, and develop long past our courses. Well done, Nicole!

Our own digital travel magazine, Roamancing, is also on the list at #19! And we see a number of other friends of ours from the travel community featured on the list as well. Check them out!

Top Canadian Travel Blogs

Congratulations to all the sites listed, and for all the hard work and passion that you have poured into your storytelling over the years!

Also a shout out of thanks to Grant for the Web, BCIT, and CNIE (through the AMTEC Trust Award), whose support have helped to fund much of our storytelling here the past couple of years.

Filed Under: #StoryToGo, Blogging, Courses, Instructor News, Our Community, Student Stories Tagged With: digital storytelling

Art Therapy Student Life: An Introduction

March 11, 2022 by Bjorn Yearwood 1 Comment

Watercolour painting of BC Coast in blues and greens.

As a new member to the StoryToGo Team, you probably don’t know who I am! My name is Bjorn and I finished my undergrad at the University of Victoria last summer where I earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology with a minor in art education. I am now a student at the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute where I am studying to become an art therapist. Through my posts, I aim to document my life as a student as well as introduce readers like you to the field of art therapy and its many benefits. Who knows, maybe you will decide that this is the field for you!


To listen to this article, click the red play arrow on the SoundCloud recording below:

StoryToGo · Art Therapy Student Life: An Introduction

What Brought Me to Art Therapy?

Art has always been an interest of mine but I didn’t take it seriously until I discovered the field of art therapy. I started off without a minor added to my program but I started to feel like something was missing. I yearned for a creative outlet but I wasn’t sure how to incorporate it into my studies. Sure, I could take a fun elective but if my program was feeling dull then, I felt as though I would find my future career to be dull as well. I searched and searched on what I could do with my psych degree and stumbled across art therapy. I immediately knew that it was perfect for me because I was able to combine my passions of psychology and creativity.

I added art education as a minor just before my final year at UVic so I could get a foundational background in art before applying for art therapy programs. Altering my degree so late in my studies made me nervous but I noticed a major improvement in how much I enjoyed my coursework. I also know many people that have changed their majors multiple times and are now thriving. Sometimes finding what is right for you takes time and that is perfectly okay.

What Is Art Therapy?

At VATI, I have learned that art therapy is a mental health profession that combines the process of creative art expression with models of counselling and psychotherapy to enhance emotional, physical, and mental health. It provides the client with an opportunity to explore personal problems and potentials, resolve conflicts, and facilitate self-awareness and understanding through the use of simple art materials. 

A tranquil scene of nature made by me (watercolour)

Art therapy has been proven to be effective in areas such as: 

  • Addictions or substance use issues
  • Developmental disorders and disabilities
  • Coping with physical health conditions
  • Depression, anxiety, and mental health
  • Trauma or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)
  • Aging and geriatric issues

Because art making occurs within the realm of the imagination, it opens the door to the story, and to remembering important events that may have been forgotten, or whose significance is unknown.

Tracy Councill

In my own practice, I aim to facilitate a non-verbal means for individuals and groups to connect with and express thoughts and emotions that are difficult to communicate. Sometimes words can be limiting in their definitions and expressing through art can expand those boundaries. While talking can be a part of the art therapy process, I view the act of expressing through art to be successful.


Art Prompt: Colour Walk

If you are looking for something creative to do this week, I recommend going for a colour walk around your neighbourhood. You can do this by yourself or with others if you choose. The goal of this activity is to connect you with your surroundings.

Materials Needed

  • camera

Steps

  1. Pick a colour.
  2. Walk around your neighbourhood/community and search for your colour.
  3. Take pictures that showcase your colour of choice. How creative you get with this is up to you!
  4. Walk around for as long as you see fit.

Questions to ask yourself

  • Is there a reason you chose your colour? If so, Why?
  • How did you showcase your colour in each image? What led to your artistic decisions?
  • What did you find interesting about the colour walk? What stood out the most?
  • Did you make any discoveries?
  • Were there any difficulties? Was your colour hidden or abundant?
  • Has your connection to your surroundings changed as a result of this activity?
  • If you did this as a group, you can discuss these questions with each other. The group aspect is interesting because even if you all take the same route, you will have different photographs to share.

*Disclaimer: Completing this activity is not equivalent to an art therapy session with a qualified professional*

Colour Walk in Red
A sample from a colour walk I did following the colour red.

I still have a year left at the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute and have a ways to go before I can become a registered art therapist. Currently, I am completing practicum hours at an elementary school where I am learning a lot and having fun. Each day I fall more in love with the profession and I am excited to take you all along on this journey.

You can get additional updates by checking out my Instagram.


References

Canadian Art Therapy Association. (2017). What is art therapy.
http://www.canadianarttherapy.org/what-is-art-therapy/

Councill, T. (2016). Art therapy with children. In D.E. Gussak and M.L. Rosal (Eds.), The Wiley handbook of art therapy (pp. 243-251). Malden, MA: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Filed Under: #StoryToGo, Art Therapy, Our Community, Student Stories Tagged With: art therapy, art therapy activities

Learning Stop Motion Filmmaking With Lego

August 21, 2019 by Erica Hargreave Leave a Comment

As some of you may have guessed, we wear many hats. We are storytellers, educators, technologists, scientists, dancers, and marketers. We love that the work we do allows us to put on those many hats, and enjoy the different experiences and facets of our work, including still getting a little bit of kid time with Ahimsa Kids.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Lefo-Make-Your-Own-Movie.jpg
Loving this book.

Recently with that, I had the opportunity to work with an intelligent and engaging 10-year-old, who once he finished his school work, we were able to dive into the world of edtech and stop motion filmmaking together. Stop motion is something he has a keen interest in, along with lego, and he’d just been given the Klutz: LEGO Make Your Own Movie book. It didn’t take long after flipping through the book, which was a 2018 Toy of the Year finalist, for me to become just as hooked as he was on the process. So the two of us embarked on making our own first stop motion lego film together.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is How-Animation-Works-1024x768.jpg
Leafing through the pages.

This was a fun cross-curricular project to embark on. In the process, my young student developed and wrote a story, learned to storyboard …

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Storyboarding.jpg
Laying out a scene from the storyboard.

… and filmed a stop motion movie. We brainstormed and experimented with blocking and special effects. My young student’s huge assortment of lego helped with this, along with scene backdrops in the Klutz: LEGO Make Your Own Movie book and all sorts of items in the LEGO Movie Maker Building Kit (which he’d got for his birthday), from which we learned how to build an adjustable stand for our camera (aka smartphone).

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Backdrop-and-Camera-Stand.jpg
Utilizing one of the backdrops and our newly built camera stand.

Finally my young student troubleshot how best to record the various voice overs for the project, and he and I will eventually edit the stop motion film together – that piece we did not get to on-set, so are planning to get together to finish in the not so distant future. Lego does have a free movie making app to help with the editing process, called Movie Maker, but we decided to use iMovie for this, as earlier on the set, my young student had shot his first documentary and I’d taught him how to use iMovie to edit it.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Setting-up-for-a-new-scene.jpg
Setting up for a new shot.

I have to say, this was a lot of fun, and something I could see wanting to incorporate into my school, if I still taught in a school. With this, I could see this being a full language and media arts project, a station set up in the classroom for kids that finished their other work early, a makerspace activity, or an after school club. It is also a fun at home activity, as well as a great project for homeschoolers. I myself am now looking for excuses to play with making lego stop motion movies in our work – possibly in future tutorial videos for StoryToGo or for one of my Master of Educational Technology videos. My young student kindly gifted me the LEGO Movie Maker Building Kit, and I am going to buy the Klutz: LEGO Make Your Own Movie book for myself, my nieces and nephews, and a few of my friends’ kids, as this really is such a fun experience. I can see why Lori was so fascinated by her visit to the Laika Studios and learning about stop motion storytelling there.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is flying.jpg
Using one of the backdrops to create the perception of flight.

If lego stop motion or stop motion in general is something that you’ve been having fun experimenting with, I’d love to hear any tips and tricks you may have, and to see your videos, if you want to drop your thoughts and links in the comments below. And if you have been creating lego stop motion or stop motion videos with your students, whether in traditional school or homeschool settings, I’d love to hear about how and what is working for you and your students, in the comments below.

Thanks! I hope you have fun with this!

Filed Under: #StoryToGo, Our Community, Student Stories Tagged With: filmmaking, stop motion, storytelling

Nicole Hunter Making Radio Waves: A StoryToGo Student Success Story

February 14, 2017 by Lori Yearwood Leave a Comment

Nothing is more exciting than seeing your students’ projects start from scratch and then reach great heights. Nicole Hunter from BCIT’s Building and Engaging Communities course is doing just that! Under the guidance of instructor Erica Hargreave, Nicole set out to build a platform to share her family’s travel adventures and tips. Nicole has traveled all around the world with her four children, making her stories quite intriguing. Soon after building her website Go Far Grow Close, Nicole was featured on a radio interview with Martin Strong on Roundhouse Radio 98.3 Vancouver.

Nicole’s interview stresses enjoying family trips, not surviving them. She gives great advice on different styles of vacations based on the ages of your children. It’s clear she has a wealth of knowledge to draw on and is eager for others to share the same rewards her family has enjoyed through travel.

Take a listen for yourself and be inspired to try something new: http://cirh.streamon.fm/listen-pl-7874

Filed Under: #StoryToGo, Our Community, Student Stories Tagged With: BCIT

We Want To Know What Makes You Happy

February 11, 2014 by Lori Yearwood

OneStory App

There has been a fun, yet thought provoking campaign going on about happiness and it’s obstacles.  Realwheels partnered with Ahimsa Media and OneStory in the hopes of finding different ways that people define their identity.  Realwheels is a theatrical company in Vancouver with a strong presence in  disability arts.  They are especially interested in discovering the universal ideas we all have, regardless of physicality.

Using the OnceStory platform to collect and share the interviews, participants have been answering two questions:

1. What makes you happy?

2. Is there an obstacle to that happiness?

Some of the students from our Autumn Interactive Storytelling Course submitted short interviews of themselves and their acquaintances. Here is a OneStory interview Deborah Esseltine took of Adam Snow.

[youtube i7n4TkpUt2w]

Although the campaign has ended, the topic What Makes You Happy will remain active in OneStory and we are looking to help make the collection of interviews grow.  You can add your voice in a few simple steps.

To do this you simply need to download the OneStory App for free on your device.  Once you open the App you will see different categories of interviews.  Feel free to give a listen, people have some really interesting things to say! Our topic is found within the Featured interview topics, as well as within the Health related topics.

OneStory App

When you are ready to record your interview click on the red record button with an image of a camera on it in the top right corner of the screen.  Scroll down and select ‘What Makes You Happy?’ Press Next in the top right corner and then enter the name of the person who will be speaking.  Press Next again and then press the button that says ‘Record Answer’  when you are ready to answer the first prompt.

Share your story and see what others have to say by using the hashtag #Wheelvoices on your feeds.  Your participation is ‘what makes us happy’!

Filed Under: #StoryToGo, Our Community, Student Stories Tagged With: Ahimsa Media, BCIT, disability arts

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