Art Therapy and Counseling Techniques for Therapy, Supervision, and Self-Care

Description

Participants will use art therapy approaches to assist clients and supervisees. They will explore ethical considerations regarding self-care, counseling, and supervision. They will incorporate Internal Family Systems-informed art therapy directives to build self-awareness in the counseling and supervision process through the 8 characteristics of self.
*Basic art materials are needed to participate fully; please have paper and some basic art materials. Any of the following will work wonderfully: crayons, colored pencils, markers, or colored pens. No artistic abilities are needed; art therapy is about self-exploration, problem-solving, and insight-building. It is about the creative process, not the finished product.

Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will learn and apply several art therapy directives during workshop that can be utilized during counseling, supervision, and self-care.
2. Participants will learn about Internal Family Systems informed care and how to synthesize concepts of the modality with art therapy approaches to be utilized during counseling, supervision, and self-care.

3. Participants will explore ethical concerns not limited to but including potential pitfalls of utilizing art therapy with clients, the effects of not engaging in self-care and possible impact on clients, and ways to avoid compassion fatigue and burnout.

Contributors

Kris Newlin, LPC, ATR-BC, ATCS

Kris is a licensed professional counselor, registered board-certified art therapist, and art therapy credentialed supervisor. Kris has worked in the mental health field for over 24 years. Her therapeutic experience is varied, but she tends to work with individuals who have experienced trauma. Sexual abuse, trafficking, sex offending, homelessness, eating disorders, and grief are a few of her focus areas. She also taught undergraduate and graduate art therapy and creative therapies courses at the University of Oklahoma for 16 years. Kris recently completed Salt and Light Leadership Training to help leaders emerge, igniting hope and facilitating positive change in their field of practice.
As a mixed media artist, Kris utilizes her artistic skills and her knowledge as a counselor to raise awareness and inspire empathy. She helped organize the show Unsolved History: Forensic Science, Cold Cases, and Art Therapy at the Oklahoma History Center. Kris has written and illustrated two children’s books. She is currently working on a project called “People of the Prairie” depicting painted portraits and accompanying stories of people across our state. She hopes the project personalizes some of the non-profit groups that benefit our community, raising awareness and funds.
Whether working with clients, colleagues, or organizations, Kris believes we are all creators. She considers creativity a form of communication and, specifically, art therapy a form of self-expression that can translate struggles into stories. She believes everyone has art inside them waiting to be created, stories looking for an opportunity to be heard, and experiences to be shared. Kris is honored to walk alongside others on their journey and help guide them on the path to where they want to be.

Description

Contributors

Kris Newlin, LPC, ATR-BC, ATCS