Training Workshop on Use of Expressive Arts in Emotion Healing - A Person-centered Approach

2-day Training Workshop on Use of Expressive Arts in Emotion Healing - A Person-centered Approach

Trainer: Fiona M.Y. Chang

Workshop Description:

The workshop provided an experiential learning opportunity to understand and taste the expressive arts processes in individual and group counseling. Through hands-on and experiential processes, they explored the different working approaches in using multi-modal expressive arts for facilitating counseling and group therapy. The course was designed for human service practitioners who are using arts in their practice and interested in polishing their facilitation skills in helping people with emotional distress and traumatic experience. Participants had the opportunity to experiment the use of arts for human transformation and emotional healing so that they can synthesize their personal experience with conceptual learning.

Learning was enhanced through  live demonstration, experiential process, creative exploration and practicum sessions. Basic facilitation skills (active listening, therapeutic witnessing, reflection of feelings, use of metaphor language and transformation of negative energy into positive resources) was integrated with practice through experiential exercises and sharing of reflections. The arts modalities, including visual art, music, sounding, dramatic play, body movement and writing, was introduced in this workshop.

Objectives:

 On completion of this workshop participants were / able

• To understand the basic principles and concepts of Person-centered Expressive Arts Therapy founded by Natalie Rogers.
• To experience the healing potentials of different art modalities for emotion healing.
• To be familiar with the skills and sensitivity in applying arts in clinical practice.
• To understand the Person-centered Expressive Arts Process in counseling and group facilitation.

Workshop Content

DAY 1 - Listening to Our Own Arts :

• Hands-on Experience of Art Making Practicing Visual Art for Self-expression & Self-understanding.
• Practicing Active Listening Skills in Understanding the Artwork.
• Hands-on Experience of the Creative Connection® Process Witnessing, Mirroring & Reflection of feelings

Workshop Content

DAY 2 - Using EXA Process in Counseling :

• Bringing our Client to the Creative Healing Avenue Hearing the Voices of Client(s) in Art and Creative Exploration Making contact and Facilitation of Change.
• Use of Art in Understanding our Client.
• Practicing Arts for Self-expression & Self-understanding Practicing Empathic Understanding and Reflections of Feelings  

Trainers' Biography: FIONA CHANG, REAT, RSW, M Soc Sc (Family Therapy and Health Care) is a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist with the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association- IEATA and a Registered Social Worker. She became accomplished at Person-centered Expressive Arts Approach with the founder Dr. Natalie Rogers at Saybrook University in the U.S.A. She has integrated multimodal expressive arts processes in counseling and group therapy for nearly 18 years in a variety of settings. She is now an Honorary Lecturer of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration and Founder/Program Director of the Three-year Expressive Arts Therapy Training Program of the Centre on Behavioral Health of the University of Hong Kong.

Fiona is the Vice-chairperson of “Art in Hospital”, the President of the Expressive Arts Therapy Assoiation of Hong Kong - EATA HK, an advisor of the "Art Therapy Without Borders", an advisor of the South Western College in Santa Fe and the Co-chair of the IEATA Regional Committee. She is the Pioneer of the Patient Resource Centre in public hospitals. She received many awards, including Hong Kong International Cancer Congress Young Investigators’ Award, Outstanding Staff of Hospital Authority and Distinguished Social Work Alumni. She is an international trainer, amateur artist, unpaid photographer and full-time mother.

She wrote several chapters on expressive arts therapy for internationally and locally published books, including "The Creative Connection for Groups: Person-centered Expressive Arts for Healing & Social Change”, “Art Therapy in Asia: To the bone or Wrapped in Silk”, “Art Therapy and Health Care”,  “Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care in Hong Kong: The first decade” and “千帆並舉 - 社會工作小組新貎- Group Case book (in Chinese).

Participants
The workshop was attended by twenty five counselors and therapist participants from Bangalore and one form Hong Kong. The participating institutions included Jain University, Urban India Ministries, Edumedia, Banjara Academy, Sampurna Montfort College, NIMHANS, Private practitioners and Clinical trainees.