Expressive Therapies

i signed up for a day course on expressive therapies (ET) learning from the director himself, Mark Pearson who runs programs regularly for various welfare agencies and educational departments ard australia. the whole process was reflective and therapeutic...the lecturer was very clear about wat he teaches and share alot of his own cases how the therapy helps the client...a good mixture of theories and practical...i also got to know an international group of friends (all ages...and occupations...from embassy's wives...social workers...engineers...nurse...)
the workshop was very fruitful , though tiring cos sunday (whole day attending course).

i went home with a few rewarding tips with my congested small brain:

1)Expressive Counselling Methods:Sandplay Therapy; Symbol Work; Dreamwork; Process Drawing; Mandala Artwork; Emotional Release Processes; Bioenergetics;
Body Focus; Movement and Dance; Visualisation; Expressive Writing: process, reflective and completion
2) focus on emotional release for clients (esp young and adolescents...who find difficult to express themselves)
3)ET is based on the framework and methods of Jungian, Gestalt, Reichian and Transpersonal Psychology. it is easy to apply...client-centred...creative(uses more than 1 way of helping client expressing and exploring themselves)...and transformative outcomes...
4) learnt how to use toys , drawing, symbols, words , movement, music, art , play in ET
5)learnt that toys, symbols or colours mean differently to different people...thus it is best not to judge or label ...eg red mean anger to you ...may mean differently to another person...superman mean strong to you ..may mean differently to another...
6)healthy emotions need to E-MOtion...NEED to flow...and acknowledged...
7) Difference bet ACTING OUT feelings (destructive) and THERAPEUTIC release (constructive)

and so much more....

check out Mark Pearson's website to find out more:
http://www.expressivetherapies.com.au/