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!