I now have a list of over 150 activities that I designed for teen and children's expressive therapy groups thanks to repeat clients who challenged me to keep coming up with new ideas.  I have observed that having specific instructions with steps to follow makes it easier for clients who may be unfamiliar with being creative because it gives them something concrete to do.  However, I recently feel more drawn to using the expressive therapies to allow clients to have more control of their creative process.  I will be starting a series of sessions over the next month in which I bring inspirational material for discussion for the first fifteen minutes of the session, and then simply provide materials for clients to have time for "free art."  If someone seems stuck, I can point out art examples on the gallery on the wall, but I will endeavor to refrain from making ANY suggestions about what they should do with their art.  I will, of course, provide encouragement and supportive feedback for whatever gets created.  I'm excited to see how this will be different from using the structured activities.  I'll let you know.

One of the inspirations for my work is the book, Nature and the Human Soul by Bill Plotkin.  In his book, he describes stages of healthy "soulcentric" development in which humans become psychologically mature.  He contends that most adults in contemporary Western culture do not actually mature into true adulthood.  This is due to the lack of support in our society to enter a "cocoon" phase of development in which we encounter deep mysteries of nature and the soul.  He suggests that most people hear a call to this adventure, but they are not able to answer the call. 

In my work with teens, it is interesting for me to look through this lens when trying to understand the various problems in their lives.  It is truly a sad state of affairs when young people feel the surge of power and heat in their bodies that comes alive during adolescence, but have so little guidance of how to honor and direct the energy.  I created one very simple group activity to provide my clients with a quick glimpse at a model of the transition from childhood to adulthood, represented by the stages of metamorphasis of a butterfly (Number 25, "Butterfly Initiation).  But in spite of any failures on the part of our society to provide any healthy initiation rites for our youth, it is remarkable how the youth continue to thrive and provide a raging challenge to the status quo through music, dress, and insights that can only occur in that liminal stage when you have no allegiances to propriety. 

Creative expression is like a journey into a wilderness of sorts.  I have been very blessed to share some very precious and powerful moments with clients who attend my groups at the New Horizons Children's Crisis and Stabilization Unit in Fort Pierce, Florida.  I would like to share some of my personal expeditions into the wild that I have experienced through facilitating groups with children and teens in crisis.  Thanks for joining me.