Creative Counselling
Julie Cunningham
Seven process keys:
Explore, play, express, create, reflect, discover, direct.
Explore.
In therapeutic conversation we can explore what is going on in your life or perhaps, what is not going on, but you wish it was.
When a 'charged' focus arises that needs greater attention, I will invite you to engage with an art process to explore it further through colour, shapes, patterns, or images.
Play
Visual exploration without judgement or desire to meet an aesthetic standard is a form of play. It may be with images, stories, maps, patterns, shapes, collage, masks, clay or other objects or materials. Art play leads to discovery and in itself has therapeutic affects not only for children but for teenagers and for adults.
Express
Finding ways to express unspoken or repressed feelings and hurts can help to release their effect. This process is vital to healing. Being supported, "held" and guided in this process helps it happen, lowering your stress levels.
At times what comes up may surprise you.
This photo is from my work in India with Tia Pleiman and domestic burn victims. The process of making dolls helped the women feel empowered to speak their stories.
Create
Creativity is in our DNA and humans have created tools, imagined and told stories, decorated, sung and danced since culture began.
Beyond creating being enjoyable in itself, creating in a session means there are forms, images and thoughts that arise in the process, which, through reflecting upon them, offer insight.
Reflect
Open questions on what you have created, encourage reflection. Previously unnamed emotions, stories and associations may be uncovered and expressed by this process. These could be about your current life or past or what you'd like to happen in the future.
Reflecting is vital to how the processes work whether in groups or with individuals. That said, you are always free to share or hold back what you are feeling or thinking.
Reflection turns up discoveries.
Discover
Through the processes outlined above you may discover what has been hidden in a situation from your more conscious self, or find levels of self understanding that were obscured before. You may also discover you have desires you were unaware of.
You can choose to work further with what has been revealed in a session and direct yourself towards an inner or outer goal. Other creative processes can help you to focus and hold to these goals.
Direct
In directing yourself towards an internal and/or external goal making a relevant image, collage or sculpture can help. This will work not only on your conscious self but also your unconscious self, a very powerful part of the mind. Feeding your mind with this input will help to direct you to open up and develop that greater possibility for yourself and your life.