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Southwestern College Santa Fe, NM



Visual Truth: A Series on the Honesty of Art

Visual Truth: A Series on the Honesty of Art Part 1 In 2005 Stephen Colbert coined the word “truthiness” and it still mischievously pops into my head when I witness discussions where no real facts seem important. As an art therapist I probably honor intuition and perception as much as anyone so it might seem a…
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Where Southwestern Grads Work: David Hudson, Art Therapy/Counseling

David Hudson, M.A., ATR-BC, LPCC, is employed by the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs as a Readjustment Counseling Therapist. He specializes in the treatment of chronic, combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as military sexual trauma. Using a variety of modalities and interventions in long- and short-term psychotherapy, he serves veterans from the conflicts in…
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Failure Becomes the Seed of Possibility

What I have learned at Southwestern College is that each quarter brings with it new experiences. Sometimes they are wrapped in neat little packages with cute little bows, and sometimes whatever I receive I’d like to send back and pretend it was addressed to someone else. That being said, sometimes the most painful experiences lead…
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Beautiful Girl

“Beautiful Girl” by Claudia Escareño-Clark and Gabby Valdez Gabby's Reflections: My assignment for my Multicultural class was to pick a topic “Outside of my Comfort Zone” pertaining to a cultural view. I chose to make a film documentary, which took much discerning to make public, about body image. In seeing the final cut, it was such…
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Transformation and Awakening at Southwestern College, by Amy Krok

It was a vision.  On the rising from sleep one idle morning, the young 25-year-old girl experienced something out of this world; the girl saw clearly before her, her future.  At 25, the girl had spent most of her twenties up to that point confused and searching for answers, directions and guidance.  It came…
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Learning with Nature, by Nena Martinez Anaya, Doctoral Student

In the Visionary Practice & Regenerative Leadership PhD Program at Southwestern College, we understand the natural world and more-than-human beings are partners in our learning. Of course, nature is not simply an external construct, human beings are nature, embedded in natural systems and cycles, and are themselves expressions of Earth systems. Through our doctoral program…
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The Gift by Jamie Moon, PhD student

Doctoral student and artist Jamie Moon shares her journey and what influenced her to collect and make sand-painted stones and gift them to the Visionary Practice & Regenerative Leadership doctoral program faculty and her fellow doctoral students. Enjoy her unique story in her words and images. Growing up in Tennessee, in a very traditional gift-giving…
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New Frameworks for Learning, PhD student testimonials

The Visionary Practice & Regenerative Leadership PhD Program at Southwestern College in Santa Fe begins with an initial on-ground residency, Residency I: Seeking. The purpose is to provide an orientation to the program and to introduce students to unique approaches to transformational and experiential learning. These new ways of learning, doing, and being invite our…
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Capstone B: Summer ’24 Presentations & Art Gallery by Jennifer Albright Knash

Image by Ben Noel, Creature of the Week This year we had nineteen students presenting their Capstone B projects and their art pieces that demonstrate the culmination of their learning in the SWC art therapy and counseling program. The students were asked to choose between either a group art process or a creative self-inquiry where…
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Summer Capstone A – 2024 by Jennifer Albright Knash

The Capstone Story This year’s summer Capstone A was an entirely virtual experience since all of our students were distance learners for this term. The idea “germinated” very quickly as this group was a close cohort; they decided upon a virtual garden where they would create symbols for each other and themselves and then work…
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Finding My People and Coming Home

In the following quotes from their self-reflections, doctoral students entering in Fall 2024 share their experiences of finding community with each other and the faculty of the Visionary Practice and Regenerative Leadership PhD Program at Southwestern College. Genell Howel: "Within my cohort and faculty, I found a group of like-minded individuals whose ultimate aim is…
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PhD First Residency: Encounters of the VPRL kind by Vlad Rebek

  A small passenger van's tires slowly bite into the dusty desert road, leading into a ranch off of the main scenic road, appropriately called Ghost Ranch. We are about 65 miles northwest of Santa Fe, and the nearest community of Abiquiu is about 14 miles down the road. Cohort #3 doctoral students are happy…
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“Follow the Path – A Doctoral Student Begins her Journey”

  In September 2024 the Visionary Practice and Regenerative Leadership PhD Program held its annual Fall Residency welcoming its third cohort. A hallmark of the program and all graduate programs at Southwestern College is experiential and transformational learning. Here we share a brief photo-essay on one of the residency activities, walking the labyrinth at Ghost…
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Returning to my Roots by Kam Monroe, LPCC

Returning to My Roots: Embracing the Mission of Transforming Consciousness Through Education As I stepped back onto the familiar campus of Southwestern, a wave of nostalgia washed over me. It felt like just yesterday that I was a new graduate student in the Art Therapy and Counseling program, soaking up knowledge and expanding my horizons.…
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Visionary Practices for Regenerative Leaders, Ann Filemyr, PhD

At Southwestern College in Santa Fe, we co-designed a unique transdisciplinary doctoral program, the PhD in Visionary Practice & Regenerative Leadership, and launched it in 2022. The purpose is to prepare regenerative visionary leaders who are inspired to articulate the emergent story of cooperation, compassion, connection, and capacity. We bring together faculty and doctoral students…
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Art Directive from History of Art Therapy class

In History of Art Therapy: Founders and Foundations, we start each class with an art directive. This is a wonderful way to explore the history of the field of art therapy while also learning about the founding mothers and fathers.  This Tissue Paper Collage art directive was inspired by Edith Wallace and Jung's "active imagination". …
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Hello Winter Solstice!

The Winter Solstice starts the winter season on December 21, 2023.  The Earth is at its furthest point from the sun, resulting in the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. Astronomically, the Winter Solstice marks the start of longer days and shortening nights. Around the world, many cultures celebrate the Winter Solstice…
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Graduation 2023 Address for Degree Students -Jennifer Albright Knash, DAT

 Graduation Address: Jennifer Albright Knash, DAT, Chair of Art Therapy, Graduation Address, November 2023 Featured Photo of Virginia Padilla Vigil, Katherine Ninos and Jennifer Albright Knash More on: Jennifer Albright Knash, DAT, ATRL-BC, LPC/AODA, CCTP Jennifer Albright Knash is the Chair of the Art Therapy/Counseling program at Southwestern College.  She currently works with…
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Prioritizing Self Care as a Masters Student by Mariana Leon

Before attending Southwestern College, self-care was a weekend activity or something to do after all my priorities were completed. It was a luxury to have time for self care. My first class at Southwestern was Psychology of  Altruism: Fundamentals of Helping Relationships.  This course explored the balance of service and self-care. It wasn’t until then…
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On the First Residency for the PhD program by Angela Palmer

I am a new student in the Visionary Practice and Regenerative Leadership Ph.D. In late August and early September I had the privilege to participate in my first residency. It is titled "Seeking" and it kicks off the PhD program and allows us to connect with each other, the faculty, and the program overall. This…
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What to do in New Mexico, Summer 2023 by Tya Bussell

There are many gems to be discovered in the summertime throughout New Mexico. The summer temperatures in lower elevation areas of New Mexico range from 80-100 degrees Fahrenheit. The higher elevation locations of NM reach the 70s in the peak of summer. These temperatures are perfect for shorts and tank tops with plenty of sunscreen!…
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Navigating with a Learning Difference, Part I by Susanmarie Oddo

Time will Tell Wherever you find yourself in your educational career, you may discover, from time to time, that you need support to achieve success.  As a student with a learning difference, I’d like to share with you my standouts for success, which emerged during my first quarter as a PhD student.  It is my…
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Your Love is Vital, by Ann Filemyr, President Southwestern College

Each year on February 2nd, I celebrate the ancient Celtic Goddess Brigid, a great feminine solar power, she of the greening season who carries fire in her palms, she who blesses the arts of poetry, smithing, and healing. In Ireland it is called St. Brigid’s Day, honored as a holy day at her sacred spring…
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Personal Reflection on MLK Day 2023, Ann Filemyr, Southwestern College President

As we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 16, I reflect on his life and words urging us to do better, to be better, as citizens of the nation and members of the human community. I consider how he inspired so many. The work they collectively accomplished made our lives more possible.…
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