CorePaintingsm
Paint a dialogue between yourself and the images that emerge on your paper. Learn how to lose your inner critic and paint freely from the deepest core of your being. We will witness each other’s paintings, but we will not interpret or analyze. Meditation, breathing techniques, music or movement will help our entry into non-linear space. CorePainting is offered in blocks of seven weeks. New participants may attend an individual painting session by calling first. It is recommended that participants commit to a minimum of four evenings.

Wednesdays 7:00 - 9:30 p.m.

Fall 1, 2001                                    Fall 2, 2001
8/15, 8/22, 8/29                              10/3, 10/10, 10/24, 11/1 (Thurs)
9/5, 9/12, 9/19. 9/26                       11/14, 11/28, 12/5,

Winter, 2002                                  Spring, 2002
1/30, 2/6, 2/13, 2/20                        4/10, 4/17, 4/24, 5/1
3/6, 3/20, 3/27                                 5/8, 5/15, 5/22

Fee: $175/ 7-week session               $30/evening if paid each week        To Register, click here.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

CoreDramasm

       Have you ever wanted to change the ending to a story?
       Wished you had said what you really meant?
       Wondered what might happen if…?

Psychodrama and Sociometry are powerful action methods that explore past, present and future experiences from many different points of view. Participants enter into and transform internal and external reality through role reversals, experimental dialogues, and scene changing. Through these methods, a much deeper awareness of and appreciation for the self is gained. CoreDrama is offered on a variable monthly schedule. One hour lunch break.

Saturday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Fall, 2001:                 Winter, 2002:
9/15, 11/3, 12/8            1/12, 2/9, 3/9, 4/6, 5/11

Fee: $95/session           Lunch at nearby restaurants or bring your own. Beverages furnished.   To Register, click here.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

DreamImagesm

Paint, draw, and write your dreams. We will play with our own and each other's dreams, imagery and stories to make dream discoveries. Symbol research, amplification and potential interpretation will be encouraged. Work as a group on each other’s dreams. DreamImagesm is offered once a year in the fall.

Monday evening, 8 – 9:30 pm.                              2001:          9/24, 10/1, 10/8, 10/22, 10/29, 11/12, 11/19

Fee: $240, payable in one or two installments.       Maximum of six participants.        To Register, click here.
________________________________________________________________________________________

In Her Image
In Her Image is an expressive arts psychotherapy group for adult women seeking to express and affirm themselves. We will explore Issues such as body image, sexuality, age, family patterns, memories, wishes, wounds, and creative strengths. Participants will use a variety of basic art materials, creative writing, dramatic encounters, and music in a supportive group setting. Each group will develop its focus from the collective issues of the group members. Eight-week groups with breaks in between will allow time for reflection and integration.

Monday, 8 – 10 pm

2002 Session I:                            2002 Session II:
1/7, 1/14, 1/28, 2/4                           4/1, 4/8, 4/15, 4/22
2/11, 2/19 (Tues), 2/25, 3/4               4/29, 5/13, 5/20, 5/27

Fee: $320/ session  (May be paid in two installments of $160)                      To Register, click here.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

For Therapists:
Art and Action Methods for Clinical Insight

Therapy is a unique calling. It asks clients to become emotionally vulnerable, while the therapist struggles to remain "neutral" and clothed. It is essential that therapists find a way in which they can become naked to themselves: to question thier assumptions, discover their own places of woundedness, and become clear about their personal and professional roles. This small professional group will delve into the therapist’s personal process of doing therapy. Participants will learn how to use art methods to visualize and understand themselves in relation to their clients. Art and action methods will help participants express and reprocess affect-laden clinical encounters. Confidentiality and compassion will be emphasized.

Monday morning, 8:00 – 10:30               Fee: $180/month

Fall, 2001                                       Winter, 2002
9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/1                       2/4, 2/11, 3/4, 3/18
10/8, 10/22, 10/29, 11/12                 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/15                           To Register, click here.
 

Choosing a Group:

The creative process can be surprising and intense. All of our groups encourage the emergence of personal imagery. But each one has a specific intent and process. They range from creativity development and enhanced learning to in-depth psychotherapy.  Below are descriptions of the groups that may help you make a decision.

CorePainting is an open group that emphasizes the adventure of spontaneous painting and builds courage and trust in the creative process. There is less interpersonal interaction and more emphasis on privacy for the images created. This group relies on the participant's willingness to release control in order to explore sometimes paradoxical images. Dark places may be visited, but there is no attempt to "manage" the imagery. The group is helpful for artists who are blocked or who want to dive into intuitive imagery as well as for people in therapy who want to explore in a non-analytic space. Novice painters are welcome in this group. Individual therapy is not a requirement for this group.

DreamImage groups are both interactive and introspective. Participants become involved in each other’s images in a supportive way. The emphasis is the role of metaphor and symbolism for in-depth self-understanding. This group offers a method for dream analysis that is art-based, so participants learn a particular skill in addition to learning that dream symbols are messengers of the deep psyche whose purpose is to illuminate. Individual therapy is not a requirement for this group.

In Her Image groups provide a solid frame for arts-based group psychotherapy. Participants explore personal issues through a variety of art experiences. Group interactions and feed-back are part of the therapy process. Art quickly makes visible what has been hidden or suppressed and can often surprise even the most defensive person. The infrastructure of the group is geared to gaining clarity and support for the feelings and awarenesses that arise iart-based group therapy. Individuals with major unresolved therapy issues are encouraged to continue in their individual therapy and to use In Her Image as an adjunct to that therapy. Otherwise, this group can offer an excellent group therapy option either with or without individual therapy.

Action Method groups (CoreDrama) are the most intensely interpersonal and can open feelings very quickly. Putting feelings and memories into action engages the whole self: body and mind, and is one of the most powerful methods for understanding and healing. Unresolved conflicts usually arise and participants experiment with alternative options to these internal narratives. At the same time, psychodrama can be playful and spontaneous as well. Sociometry is used to gauge the roles and relationships within the participant group and can offer great insight into one's way of being with others in the world. Participants who are in on-going individual therapy should be sure to coordinate their therapies for maximum benefit.
 

Art Therapy Center Custom Workshops

The Art Therapy Center is pleased to offer on-site or other custom-designed workshops for organizations, businesses, schools and agencies. Action methods and art processes can be used for personnel training and development, conflict resolution, diversity dialogues and creativity/re-visioning training. Two examples of custom workshops follow:
 

TREC is a powerful art-based dialogue process that has been used successfully for interracial dialogues in St. Louis. It is very adaptable to diversity issues and conflicted situations and can be used in a variety of settings with a variety of participants. The process was developed from early experiments with community art dialogues such as Visual Dialogues projects, the Mother Tongue project  and the Left Bank Books installation, Panel Discussions. Carol Lark is co-founder of The Visual Dialogues Project and co-founder and trainer for TREC. For additional information, click on TREC.

Diversity and conflictual issues can be addressed with an action methods approach. Lark uses sociometry, sociodrama and role encounters to create a powerful, well-contained experience leading to more in-depth awareness and discussion.

CoreImage^sm
For: Creativity/re-visioning; unblocking artists and performers; intensive personal growth

CoreImage is a 4 day intensive that can be scheduled either at the Art Therapy Center or on-site at other locations throughout the United States. It is designed to push participants past previous boundaries of creativity so that deep images can flow from the psyche. Artists will find themselves unblocking old ways of seeing and thinking. Novices will discover the power of encountering primal imagery. Both should leave the workshop feeling invigorated and newly motivated to continue their own art forms.

The group will experiment with a variety of art media in the search for authentic image. We will begin by restricting ourselves to black and white charcoal and then move into colored pastels, paint, and three-dimensional media in conjunction with music, percussion, and written and dramatic responses to the images. Members should be open to feeling foolish, frustrated and playful: all key ingredients in creative process.