Thursday 26 November 2015

Patience is a Virtue

"Patience is a Virtue" has become my new motto when it comes to working in the field. The registration process with the CRPO (College of Registered Psychotherapists) has become a much longer process than anticipated. Between documents needing to be sent in by third parties and hours not being counted that I anticipated counting, I have been reminding myself that things will work out all in due time and to take a deep breath.

Meanwhile work has been great. I've been fortunate enough to be able to incorporate DMT into some of the groups I have been facilitating and look forward to bringing in more in the future.

My identity as a professional has been developing and has been a source of reflection lately. I am a dance/movement therapist, not an expressive arts therapist, not an arts and crafts teacher but a dance/movement therapist.

I read a great blog post that someone had posted on the ADTA blog in honour of American Thanksgiving. Please follow the link below to get to it and give it a read, it captures my sentiments fully.

Keep moving, until next time!

Monday 27 July 2015

Happy National Dance Day

I'm two days late but better late than never! Happy National Dance Day (July 25, 2015). Hope you got a chance to move/dance the day away.

Photo from Pinterest

Another great video!

Another great video from the ADTA blog explaining the difference between therapeutic dance and dance/movement therapy. This video is relatively short to watch and Susan Imus does a great job of using examples to differentiate between the two forms.



The Difference Between “Therapeutic” Dance and Dance/Movement Therapy: An ADTA Talk

Tuesday 7 July 2015

Back in Canada

Almost two months since my last post and my return to Canada. I must say it is the simple things in Canadian life that I am enjoying again such as milk in bags and Tim Hortons steeped tea!

A lot has happened in the time since my last post including finishing my thesis, graduation, moving into my new apartment and starting a new job. I received my approval from the American Dance Therapy Association and received my Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT) status and am still in the process of registering with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. I am working at Art With A Heart Inc. (www.artwithaheart.ca) as a psychotherapist and dance/movement therapist part-time and just secured a part-time gig at Sport Chek (excellent employee discount on yoga pants, the uniform of DMTs).

We are still working on getting my website up and running which involves much more time and decision making than I originally thought. What information do I want on it, what colour scheme and layout do I like best? Thankfully I have a wonderful web designer/developer on my side. Hopefully it will be live soon!

Lots of projects on the horizon so stay tuned for updates....now that I'm getting into a routine again I'll be more diligent about posting.
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Monday 11 May 2015

Name Change of the Program

I recently found out that the names of my degree and program have changed. Now instead of being an M.A. in Expressive Therapies: Dance/Movement Therapy with a Specialization in Mental Health Counseling it is an M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Dance/Movement Therapy. The school's reasoning behind the change is that it will make it easier for people to apply for licensure after graduation.

There doesn't seem to be a consensus as to whether this change is for the best or not. I personally think that having the Clinical Mental Health Counselor title come first will help with licensure and receiving credibility from other professions. However, I am torn about the removal of Expressive Therapies from the title. I see my identity as a dance/movement therapist not an expressive therapist, however I think the expressive therapist piece is important to acknowledge.

Only time will tell how this change will affect us.

Tuesday 28 April 2015

3 weeks left!

The month since my last post has been incredibly busy. For those of you who are currently in school you will know what I'm talking about. The final papers, presentations, evaluations...and of course the thesis!

I also was lucky enough to have my best friend from back home come down for a weekend and then more recently my Mom came down to visit. Everyone is trying to see Boston while they have a free place to stay and I'm happy to play tour guide!

I finally submitted my thesis this past weekend. A great accomplishment and I'm very proud of the final product. Now just a few more papers and presentations left and then I'm done! It's less than 3 weeks now until graduation and my move back to Canada.

This will probably be my last post until after graduation as there don't seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done.

Thank you my readers out there for all your support throughout this journey! This chapter of it is almost over but stay tuned for what will come next.

Sunday 29 March 2015

Paint Brunch

Yesterday I seized the opportunity to attend a paint brunch hosted by one of the student associations at Lesley. It was a step-by-step painting class and the end result was a painting of the Boston skyline. They have been offering these workshops once a semester as self-care time for students and I'm so glad I finally got to one. I've been hesitant to attend since I have never painted before! Pretty proud of my finished product and it will be a good reminder of my time here in Boston once I return to Canada.

(48 days until graduation...not that I'm counting!)


Monday 23 March 2015

Final Stretch

Sitting in the Toronto airport waiting for my flight back to Boston for the home stretch. In less than two months I will have graduated from Lesley with my Master's....exciting (but also a bit terrifying if I'm being honest). There is so much to do in the time that remains including finishing up my thesis. I've finally completed my data collection and now to write it up.

Today I had the interesting experience of explaining to the border customs agent what dance/movement therapy is. He gave me the impression that he thought I was making it up. After being grilled for about 15 minutes he seemed to be satisfied with my answers although he still seemed skeptical. Doing my part for the field today and spreading the word! 

Monday 9 March 2015

Dancing with Parkinson's at Canada's National Ballet School

Follow the link to see Dr. Joe DeSouza and Rachel Bar discuss their program and research investigating the effects of dance on the brain at Canada's National Ballet School.

Sunday 8 March 2015

Reminders

As this last semester approaches the half way point I thought I'd share a few things I am being reminded of.

1. Even though you're a student, you cannot live off of Ramen noodles. You need to remember to nourish your body!

2. Sleep really is important and whether you get enough makes a difference. There's always some kind of school work to be doing and yes you probably could stay up until 2 am every night working on it but you shouldn't be sacrificing sleep to get it done.

3. It's OK to take a couple hours off to watch a movie with your roommates. I know it is easy to feel guilty about taking a break when there is so much to be done but hey you need to nourish all parts of yourself including your social self.

4. You can only stare at a computer screen for so many hours before you need to give your eyes a break. Go outside, get some fresh air and soak in that sunshine!

5. Finally, you will have some rough days where it seems like the world is against you. But guess what, tomorrow is a new day and it will be better. Call on your muses for inspiration, call a friend who can remind you how great you are and most importantly take a deep breath.

It has taken me 7 years of post-secondary education to finally buy into these things. I used to get frustrated when people would say "make sure you get enough sleep" or "take time for some fun". I'd think sure let me get right on that after I finish the readings, papers, presentations and online posts for the week. There never seemed to be time.

I still struggle with these things but I have come to realize it's a balancing act. Sure you do need to lose sleep, I think every grad student would say that's just part of being a grad student. But instead of getting 2 hours...make sure you get 6. Yes your social life takes a beating but chances are your friends understand (or at least the ones you've made in grad school) because they're in the same boat.
So don't be so hard on yourself and remember in the end that it will all be worth it!

Sunday 22 February 2015

Thesis Thesis and More Thesis

It seems like this semester went from 0 to 90 in the blink of an eye. We're heading into our 5th week of classes and we have yet to have a full week, partially due to snow days but we've had a couple holidays thrown in there too.

We've got assignments piling up and of course those of us doing our thesis have also kicked that up a notch. I'm in the midst of collecting data for mine and am loving every minute of it. At the beginning of the year my thesis professor promised us this experience would be life changing. I reflected back on my undergraduate thesis experience and thought the only thing life changing about it was that I learned how little sleep I could function on.

Now as I begin data collection, and the writing process, I understand what she meant. This process has changed my prospective on my place in the field as a professional and how the field fits into Canadian culture. All this and I'm not even at the halfway point yet!

Sunday 8 February 2015

Memory Boxes



As the second semester gets underway for myself and my clients, some of them are also thinking about what comes next after graduation. One way I have decided to help facilitate discussion around this is to have them create a memory box. I found these wooden boxes at Michael's craft store and thought they could decorate them in our time together. After the box is decorated, I am hoping that with writing and drawing prompts we can then use our time to create items to go in the box. 

This has inspired me to create a memory box of my time here in Boston! 


Sunday 1 February 2015

Theories, Theories and More Theories

As the new (and my final) semester gets underway, I am struck by how the first reading for my Theories of Mental Health Counseling class has turned into a reflective assignment.

When I heard I had to take a course entitled Theories of Mental Health Counseling, I couldn't help but inwardly groan thinking it would be the same theories we have heard at least a handful of times at this point in our schooling with a textbook that is less than interesting (and costs a small fortune). Of course Freud and psychoanalytical theory was first up on the syllabus.

The first chapter allowed me to reflect on how at this point in my training I have yet to really adopt a theory and also stresses the importance of having a theory to identify with. It made me stop and think about what assumptions I have regarding human behaviour and motivation. These may seem like simple things that should have crossed my mind and although they have, I have never taken the time to really think about them and how they will affect what theory I will identify with as a professional.

In my experience as an expressive arts therapy student, you hear the term person-centered frequently, which I have never understood what exactly that means for me as a practitioner in the field. I have also been told many times, "you'll make up your own theory by pulling bits from existing theories". This chapter discussed how eclecticism (pulling bits from everywhere) is not necessarily the best way to serve your clients.

The first chapter has given me many things to think about as I proceed with this course and examine multiple theories deciding which is the best fit for me and my practice.

Off to read chapter 2 on psychoanalytical theory!

Saturday 24 January 2015

Snowy Day

Today we are getting hit with a winter storm. Thankfully I don't have to go out but will probably venture out for a walk later to see the damage. Today seems like a good day to work away on my thesis while enjoying a cup of tea! My Yogi tea quote seems fitting for a day like today....
Enjoy your Saturday!

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Association Memberships

This week is a week "off" for me. My intensive course is over, minus the final paper to be written and regular Spring courses don't start until next week along with my internship. Now mind you there is always my thesis to be working on, along with job searching and all those larger "To Do" items that come once graduation is in sight.

One of these larger items is trying to decide what associations I should become a member of after graduation. So far the ones I have been looking into are:

American Dance Therapy Association (this one is a definite yes!)
Dance Movement Therapy Association in Canada
Ontario Expressive Arts Therapy Association

College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario
Ontario Association of Consultants, Counsellors, Psychometrists and Psychotherapists

Each association has its pros and cons, including cost of membership and whether or not insurance is available for practitioners.

After a couple of hours looking into registration requirements, application process and application fees my head is usually swimming. I wish there were a guide out there to help new practitioners with this process!

Wednesday 14 January 2015

Irish Blessing

As I learned this past weekend, Kundalini Yoga always finishes with the following song. It is an Irish blessing and I believe it is a beautiful way to say goodbye. The Youtube link below is for the version my teacher used and after spending a bit of time on Youtube, it is the version that resonates with me the most. In Kundalini Yoga, the song finishes with Sat Nam which translates to Truth Name. If you're interested in finding out more about the meaning of Sat Nam please follow this link, http://www.spiritvoyage.com/blog/index.php/sat-nam-the-kundalini-mantra-of-awareness/

Long Time Sun

May the long time sun shine upon you
All love surround you
And the pure light within you
Guide your way on

Monday 12 January 2015

Holistic Approach to Pain and Stress

Well the first weekend of my weekend intensive course, Holistic Approach to Pain and Stress, is over. It was an exhausting weekend, more so than I thought it would be, but enlightening as well.

The techniques we have been focusing on are Kundalini Yoga, Sat Nam Rasayan Healing, mindfulness and meditation. I have some exposure to mindfulness and meditation but the yoga and Sat Nam Rasayan healing are new to me. 

I found the meditations hard to sit through without being distracted but was reassured that this is part of the process and to trust it. I am finding the course to be more of a retreat than a typical course but am seeing pieces that I will be able to use with my clients. I also have set a short term and a long term goal to incorporate pieces of it into my own self-care practice to reduce stress and anxiety.  

I have little experience with yoga in general and had never heard of Kundalini yoga before this course. The breathing that is used, at least in the beginner's set we were experiencing, are short quick breaths and you become very aware of the flow of the breath and where it is initiating from. At first I became worried that this type of breathing would raise my anxiety levels and end up causing an anxiety attack. However thankfully none arose.

Harvard is teaming with one of the hospitals in Boston and they are researching the benefits of Kundalini yoga on anxiety levels in patients with cancer. The yoga felt awkward at first but I am beginning to see the benefits in it and would like to research it further. The chants and music that are used in this practice are soothing and help deepen the experience.

I am looking forward to next weekend when the second weekend of the course occurs and to hunkering down with the readings this week!
One of the required books for the course

Thursday 1 January 2015

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It's amazing what has been accomplished in 2014 and looking ahead to 2015 there will be lots of exciting changes. The one I am most looking forward to is graduating from Lesley University in May. Then there is the move back to Canada, completing a thesis, getting a job, finding a place to live and all that fun stuff.

I finally nailed down a realistic and manageable thesis topic and am continuing to work on it over the break. I am investigating the history of DMT in Canada and along with that examining what can help it achieve longevity.

While working on this project and reflecting back on my year, it is finally hitting me that I am part of something great. Teachers keep telling us this, we are pioneers in the field and in our countries but it was not until this project that I am beginning to believe them. This work is transformative and I am honoured to be a part of it.

I wish you all the best in 2015!