Now a Registered Clinical Supervisor for Counsellors and Arts Therapists

What a massive workshop with Clinical Counselling Centre.  I met some great people and did a lot of hard work and now feel validated in my work as a supervisor.  I am hoping to be able to offer e-supervision through the clinic soon as being in a regional area it is often very difficult to find support and supervision.
Megan

Starting PHD

I must be mad but decided to put my brain where my mouth is and do a PHD on the following:

Emotional dysregulation is a presenting clinical feature in psychiatric disorders . It is also of interest that patients suffering emotional dysregulation have a high degree of creativity.  A recent literature reported that people suffering emotional dysregulation were 38% more creative than non-psychiatric patients (Jamisons 1989). Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) is an evidence based treatment for managing emotional dysregulation in psychiatric populations.  It is proposed to combine Art Therapy which is a creative intervention with DBT a standardized treatment for dysregulation.  The development of a blended DBT and Art Therapy approach will access patient’s capacity for creativity as a process to achieve greater emotional and behavioral regulation and therefore, symptom management. 

It could be fun. Start soon.

Expressive Therapy Clinic has been busy.  The training workshops in Art Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy and Positive Psychology have been really popular with full groups of 8 each time.  The participants have been a lot of fun and we have all enjoyed our time together although it is a very full weekend.

It seems Counsellors, Psychologists, Social Workers and Mental Health Nurses and Educators like the way DBT and PP has strategic skill based learning that can be used to help clients get through the challenging times.

Love my work

Its a big year

Well, how can two years have flown by without me recording what I have been doing.  Life is just busy I guess.

I have now set up a clinic in Tweed Heads called "Expressive Therapy Clinic". I facilitate groups and see private patients using art therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy and positive psychology.

So far clients seem to be responding well to the changes they have made in their lives and really love making and creating.

I have also begun training other Allied Health Professionals and it has been rewarding and also fun.  I have developed weekend courses in Art Therapy, DBT and Positive Psychology - These are very popular and I am booked out now until after June 20.

Another course I have developed is to help practitioners and anyone interested in art therapy, to learn about what Art Therapy is.  This is also run as an 8 week evening program and a weekend workshop.  First one starts on May 25, 2013 and bookings are going well.

Both these programs have been approved by Australian Social Workers Association, Australian Counselling Association, Australian and New Zealand Arts Therapy Association and Australian Psychological Society for professional development points for their members - That was hard work but very exciting.

I have a busy few months ahead and I have others now working with me at Expressive Therapy Clinic.  Its great to work with like minded professionals, we are all into a very experiential way of working to help clients gain mental wellness.

I am looking forward to going to Melbourne to see my old friends from ANZATA at the 'Birds of a Feather' seminar in July.

I am running a Workshop using creativity DBT and Positive Psychology at the 14th International Mental Health Conference and hope soon to have my programs listed on their webpage.  The Conference is in Coolangatta in August, 2013.

I am also presenting a paper at the Australian Counselling Association Annual Conference in September 2013.

A client made this object out of found materials in the art cupboard.  She had suffered depression for many years and  had completed my course in Art Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy.  She had also graduated from the 12 month DBT program.  Her comments after making this object were:

"Most of the time I feel like I am all tied up, strangled by twine, not able to express or be myself when I know there is beauty like the flowers and joy like the red string that is bursting out of the stem.  Having learnt the DBT skills and being able to express myself through art therapy I have something to remind me that the true me is still there" and ready to bloom."

This meaning the client found to her object is why I love working with art therapy, it is so easy for clients to show me and themselves what is underneath, while attending sessions in a safe contained therapeutic environment.

I keep you up to date again soon, now that I have started.

Megan Shiell

ANZATA Perth Symposium

What a great weekend in Perth 13 - 16 May,  again the world of arts therapies had great workshops and wonderful networking with our Western Australian colleagues.  My favourite was  learning 'Vislual journaling Techniques' with Fiona Fitzpatrick, a really fun and good processing way of making art for ones own supervision.  Loved the scraping back of photos.  The other workshop I found fascinating was Fiona Gardner's School based art therapy program for years 11 and 12 students with an intellectual disability.  Now there is an arts therapist with drive and determination to set up a program, get funding and then deliver its outcomes to ANZATA members.  Well done ladies.  I will put up some more images soon on self-supervision and process.

The Art of Good Health and Wellbeing International Arts and Health Conference, Melbourne November 2010

I'm presenting a workshop at Arts and Health Conference in Melbourne next Thursday at 4pm.  I am passionate about the use of art psychotherapy as an adjunct to psychoeducation programs and the 3 week program I am discussing could be used in any hospital as a brief introduction to Dialectical Behaviour Therapy.  I think this is a great way to help people in the mental health arena with strategies and skills to manage distress.  The Art Psychotherapy component has a dual purpose, firstly, to record skills in a visual way and secondly,to give patients a deeper look at what could be underlying in the areas of blocks and defenses in their ability to take in psycho-education material.  It is a great start to begin to work with a Registered Art Psychotherapist and give insight into many areas of a patients wellness.  Please check out the gallery on the webpage http://www.expressivetherapyclinic.com.au/ to see how art psychotherapy offers a deeper understanding for patients.  If information put out there is re-integrated in a safe contained way, the opportunity to gain insight and reflection is a helpful way for patients to recover from illness and progress in their growth and understanding of what may be holding them back.

Client