Art Care

Surviving to Thriving!

I have had an interest in pursuing a career in art therapy eventually. At least incorporating it in my therapy sessions if I become a therapist later on. So when I found out that there is a healing arts program at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis and Albany and had an employed art therapist, I was all too eager to see if I could get involved. After months of emails I finally wiggled my way in to attend their sessions titled Surviving to Thriving. While this isn't art therapy per se. It is it the closest I have gotten and I was able to sit down with the art therapist and learn a lot.

It has been amazing. The women who are attending are such special people who have gone through things that have made them beautiful, strong women I admire greatly. The sessions start off with a poem reading by one of the women in charge and then a visiting artist explains what we will be doing and what they hope each will think about and get out of the project.

The first week I attended we did these dolls. We were asked to think about the women we were that day and just let inspiration come. This is what my doll ended up looking like.

Her lips are inspired by my mom, who i remember in church drawing doodles for me and their lips took on this heart shape. I also think of myself as a person who offers words of love and comfort as often as I can. Her eyes are purple simply because I have been seeing the color purple a lot in my life lately. It is one of my most favorite colors and has seemed to make its way into important events in my life. Especially my wedding and now my first born's nursery.



The lace and the flower give a vintage feel for me and I LOVE that. I growing up in a house that was older with glass door knobs and hard wood floors I feel I was raised to love all things vintage. The shoes are a special splash that show my love for shoes. I have a pair of red mary jane flats that I love (so much so I continue to wear them even though I know I will end up with blisters when I do).

I love this program and think it is so important. It is easy to get caught up in the science of psychology at school and I feel I am constantly surrounded by the need for proof, but there are somethings that are more important than that and these women will testify of the importance of a program like this. I feel blessed to be able to sit in. Look for more posts to come on this!