Creativity in the Classroom at Southwestern College
Posted October 26th, 2015 by & filed under Art Therapy at SWC, Counseling at SWC.Students at Southwestern College show mastery of content in creative ways.…
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Students at Southwestern College show mastery of content in creative ways.…
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A first-year student integrates the beauty of Santa Fe and her learning at Southwestern College.…
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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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Claudia Escareño-Clark shares some reflections on her group work experience during practicum at Southwestern College. …
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In the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that I am a film geek and child of the 80's. Bear with me.
That moment comes when you've been in grad school so long that you don't see how the training you are receiving has anything to do with working with clients. Perhaps that is…
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I don’t think that anyone explores the shades of grey better than art therapists. Okay, not the 50 Shades within the popular book and movie, but the uncomfortable place between black and white thoughts and beliefs. I’m embarrassed to admit that I gave up on reading the 50 Shades book because I was so annoyed…
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As I venture into another quarter here at Southwestern College I am having a difficult time figuring out where I will eventually fit in. I am currently entrenched in the theories and perspectives we are learning in family counseling, and though it may be called family counseling, I cannot separate some of the issues I…
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Claudia Escareño-Clark explores the impact that assimilation and being an immigrant have had and how this will impact her work with clients. …
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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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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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As graduate assistants at Southwestern College we get to do a variety of tasks, depending on our strengths and interests. While doing social media and blogging, I came up with the idea last fall to do a series of videos. What I realized is that while I was fortunate enough to already be living in…
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“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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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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Hello There!
Please enjoy the art, and words about the art processes that are posted here.
~*~
The blog is intended to inspire the creator within in us all by both seeing various mediums used, as well as reading how the pieces have been created and what they mean to the artist. We will…
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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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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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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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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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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: 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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President Ann Filemyr participated in The Heart of Nature Summit on April 19, 2024. This video is her interview and covers the values of Southwestern College, the purpose of the PhD in Visionary Practice & Regenerative Leadership, as well as reflections on the balance needed to heal ourselves and heal the Earth.
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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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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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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 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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Albuquerque is 64 miles Southwest of Santa Fe and has many fun things to check out this holiday season! Take the Rail Runner or drive down i25 and explore the Duke City.
Go to Big Jim’s Winter of Enchantment event at the southeast corner of Coors and Montaño near Sprouts and Bosque School: 4140…
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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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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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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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Looking to start your flowerbeds this spring and want to honor the Northern Central New Mexican foliage? New to Santa Fe and trying to determine which are the native plants along the trails? I have some tips for you!
Santa Fe Native Plant Project (SNaPP) is a certification and public education program of the…
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This year for Winter Capstone 2023, we had nineteen students and five new murals; there was the opportunity to participate via distance as well as on ground in unique and ingenious ways. Students were asked to consider how they would like to participate and ways in which they would like to integrate the ideas of…
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New Mexico ranks in the top half of the most affordable states to live in and the state with the lowest average taxes paid per household. New Mexico doesn’t have a state sales tax. It has a statewide gross receipts tax, which is commonly passed on to the consumer by businesses just like a normal…
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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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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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Here in New Mexico, we get an equal amount of all four seasons. Our summers are filled with heat and sunshine. Our autumns are crisp golden and orange with perfect harvest weather. Our springtime is windy and fresh with blooms all over the place. Our winters experience snow, ice, and frosty temperatures. This has a…
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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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Thank you provisioning creatrix power of the living universe, of which we are a deep part, for guidance in helping connect us with the next now and necessary node(s) in the sinuous, supple, undulant, and infinite webweave of the cosmos-in-becoming knowing itself more deeply.
We honor affirm that as we are a part of the…
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Snow is beginning to accumulate, and as my border collies race outside for their last evening jaunt before bed, their paw prints pepper the snow. I delight in watching them discover the first snow of the season. In the mountains of Colorado, the scene of dogs romping in deep powder is ubiquitous, and joy inducing. …
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Growing Your Vision-Seed
In our new transdisciplinary applied doctoral program, the PhD in Visionary Practice & Regenerative Leadership, each student begins their journey with the spark of an idea or a desire, a personal calling. We call this initial spark the vision-seed. Our program is designed to help students nurture, incubate, develop, and bring to…
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