Thursday, August 11, 2011

What advice would you give?

Me teaching.
I often get emails from Art Therapy students asking for advice. This
week I received an interesting one. All the writer asked for was one
piece of advice about what she should know about doing therapy with
children. How refreshing and different from being asked to name the top
ten pieces of advice, or five most important things that you have
learned during your career. If I could only tell her one thing or piece
or advice, what would it be?

I love the simplicity and brilliance of reducing what I think is
important to one thing. What emerged from my mind right away was
*self-growth*. The best advice I can give her for becoming a good
Art Therapist or to be good in any profession is to work on herself. The
more present, authentic, awake and aware I become, the better Art
Therapist I am. I could take all the workshops in the world, know all
the theories and have a thousand techniques, but if I am not present and
with my client in a self-aware and unconditional way, the session will
not be healing or therapeutic.

What would your one piece of advice be?

6 comments:

The Creative Beast said...

I have to agree that learning to truly BE YOURSELF is the most important thing we can do for ourselves, though to be ourselves we must KNOW OURSELVES =-)

Ms. said...

Perfect. The best advice. Work on the self and be there for the other. I've been 'following for awhile now and so admire the work you are doing.

Claudia Botero said...

This is the best advice you can give!! Is
wonderful.

Anonymous said...

I think in my Rune book it states, you must take from the well to nourish yourself, before you can nourish others. I have always felt that was good advice.

k.somerville said...

my best advice is that life is messy and people are messy so don't fret if you can't figure it all out neatly. I like to think this translates to the art therapy as well when I provide a safe place for children (and adults) to get messy with the art process.

Karen Wallace said...

Yes, I agree life is messy. Thanks, Karen

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