11/15/11 Art Therapy

Today the activities in art therapy were centered around what you're thankful for. I have been a little down about theses sessions sense to me it just wasn't therapy. Today I found how these sessions were beneficial to my drama therapy sessions though. As I walked around discussing the project with the men we discussed life, their time at Mariners, why they were there and their plans for their future. This gave me much needed information to work with them on Thursdays with drama. I feel being the end of the semester I have a handle on what art therapy is so if I had more time I could actually do one on one therapy with them.

11/10/11 Drama Therapy

The group was bigger than any other day today with 20 participants. I was expecting the normal handful so my ideas were to mix up the games a little more and work more with partnering exercises that would develop trust and give them an opportunity to listen and give advise themselves. But I had to save that for the next group because with 20 men I needed to go back to the basics. So we started over with what a few of them already knew. I also let a man pick some games because it was his birthday. The group had a blast together. In the end the role playing that struck up the most emotion was treasure chest and ghost phone calling.

Drama Therapy 11/3/11

I skipped the last drama therapy session because I was under the weather and feel the clients feed off my energy so the group would of been dull. After today I realize I am completely feeding off them. They have expressed how they miss this group when I am gone and how it is their numer one group. I had a smaller group of newer clients today. With this 21 day treatment you never know who will be coming back. Today was a break through session and the clients walked away feeling like we nailed some things on the head. After playing our various games and warm up we played Empty Chair. Each client participated seriously and on their own will. Three quarters of the men spoke to their fathers and wanted to know where they were and either why they were and made an amends. One client spoke to his son and made an amends for not being there for him. One client spoke to a dead friend who was shot because of him and made an amends. Another spoke to himself for some things he was doing he didn't agree with. This group was very emotional but very relieved to have expressed these feelings. Being the first time I did something like this it came very natural. I sat close to the clients that were crying and all the men were great support for each other. I didn't know quite how to handle what I was hearing exactly but I did the best I could in guiding there dialogue and responses and being supportive.