"Art Therapy - The Person-Centred Way. Art and the Development of the Person" by Liesl Silverstone, 1997, Jessica Kingsley Publishers Ltd.

Based heavily on the teachings and methods of Carl Rogers, the book is a kind of journal of the "person centred" journey undertaken by one of Liesl Silverstone's PCAT (Person-Centred Art Therapy) courses taken by a group of students over the period of one year. Essentially, each chapter is an outline and summary of each of the 30 sessions undertaken within the year, including Liesl Silverstone's plans for how the session will evolve; the purpose of the session; descriptions of the activities undertaken; observations and comments from both herself and any of the students who wish to contribute; plus a final section suggesting other situations where the material and processes undertaken during the session could be applied.

In keeping with Roger's use of the term "congruence" the content and processes described in the book are done so with integrity. It as if the book itself is honest in its nature - the book "is" what it talks about. At least, that is the general impression i got whilst reading it. And although I found the content and structure of the book...

Today, in the quads,it was my turn to be the observor of the client and to draw an image of the feelings that resonated within me as the client was speaking.

There were a couple of things that stood out in a big way for me in this exercise:

• For the first few minutes while the client was talking I was listening and letting what I could pick up of their words - the feelings and content of what they were expressing - give rise to images and visual interpretations. I kept on coming up with the image of a "whirlpool" and this became the main motiff of what I was drawing. What struck me was that at a later stage in the process the client started to use the idea of a "whirlwind" to describe some of the way they were feeling. It was surprising that the verbal and visual imagery ended up synchronising so well... 
• When getting the materials together for the session I grabbed a box of oil pastels and noticed that there was no black. I considered hunting around to find a black but quickly gave up the idea since black isn't really a colour I'm into at the moment. What suprised me was that, in the end, despite my thinking that I wouldn't want to use any black since it's not one of "my colours" at the moment, I...

Wow! Day 2 and I feel like I've been slapped around the head with the emotional issues bat...

We're taking it in turns in a group of 4 to be in a different role of:

• counsellor;
• client; 
• observer of the counsellor;
• observer of the client. 

The counsellor's role is to put newly learnt skills into action; the client's, to share something they feel comfortable with sharing (no actual role playing); the observer of the counsellor, to note and give feedback re the counsellor's use of the skills; and the client's observer to draw (or note) impressions and feelings of resonance with what the client is speaking about.

Today, this little bunny found himself in the client seat... It's amazing where this started and where it ended... fantastic!

Here's 10 points - observations and quotes - that have resonated with me on Day 2:

1. "When you're caught up with the small things or the things that are worrying you, where do you feel it?"
2. "Take time to establish the relationship with the client..."
3. "Avoid giving direct advice. Rather, stay close to what the client is saying..."
4. "Try to find access points for how the counsellor can best engage with the...

Back to Uni - 20 Years Later...

Well - this is it! Tomorrow I go back to school. It will be the first time I'll have returned to study in 20 years, the last course I undertook being a Graduate Diploma in Computer Education at Melbourne University, Australia. I completed that course at the end of 1992, so it's been a while since I've been a "student".

So, tomorrow - Monday, Feb 6th, 2012 - I commence a 5 day prerequisite counselling course. It's the first requirement of the Graduate Diploma in Art Therapy at La Trobe University, which I'll be undertaking this year with the intention of going onto Masters in Art Therapy in 2013.

I must say I'm pretty excited about it all, especially the aspects of the course that deal with a person centred approach to the therapy process and, perhaps a little selfishly, the impact this will have on my own personal development. (Looks like some reading in Carl Rogers is in order).

Art Therapy, you ask?

For those of you who have known me over the years, it may seem a bit left field. After all, I suppose most...