The Art of Happiness: Positive Psychology and Art Therapy

The Art of Happiness:
Positive Psychology and Art Therapy
Friday, June 24, 2011 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT

Would you like to increase life satisfaction, meaning, and engagement for your clients and yourself? Discover what makes people of all ages happier, and how to increase personal and professional happiness? Who is happy? Why be happy? Can creative endeavors contribute to happiness, and if so, how? These questions and more will be explored through an introduction to Positive Psychology, the science of happiness.

Positive psychology seeks to help us identify and build upon character strengths as tools to increase well being. We will explore the connection between Positive Psychology and art therapy and offer strategies for using creative endeavors to increase engagement, mastery, and flow.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

Art therapists, counselors, mental health professionals, and anyone interested in improving happiness in themselves and those around them.

CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT

The 'live' Webinar session is free, but does not include a CEC. The Webinar will be converted into an online distance learning course for 1 CEC available through the Institute for Continuing Education in Art Therapy (ICE/AT). The course module via ICE/AT for AATA Members is $18 and $25 for non-members. The online distance learning course is expected to be available by mid-July 2011.

WHAT STUDENTS SAY:

“Incredibly empowering and even life-changing. What a gift for me! What a tool to share with others! It truly expands one's perspective.” -Kelly Hartland

“One of best lectures I've attended in a long time, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.” -Cynthia Hart

PRESENTERS:

Gioia Chilton, M.A., ATR-BC and Rebecca Wilkinson, M.A., ATR-BC are registered and board certified art therapists, and authors of Positive Art Therapy: Envisioning the Intersection of Art Therapy and Positive Psychology published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Art Therapy in 2009. Gioia & Rebecca are both Adjunct Faculty with The George Washington University and co-founders of www.creativewellbeingworkshops.com.

To register and for more information:


https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/795659049


We hope you'll sign up! Also, at the upcomming AATA conference http://www.arttherapyconference.com/
 Rebecca and I will give the all-day, art-filled, in-depth version of this Wensday July 6th, then host a focus group on Friday June 8th! Special guest will be Megan Booth of Hollyhox Postive Resoures, http://www.hollyhoxpositiveresources.com.au/
art therapist from Australia!


Hope to meet you at any of these upcoming events!

Gioia

Gioia Chilton, MA, ATR-BC, Co-founder, Creative Wellbeing Workshops
Creative Arts Therapies Ph.D. Program, Drexel University
Adjunct Faculty, The George Washington University, Marymount University

http://creativewellbeingworkshops.com/

A vision of the future

What if all our dreams could come true? 
What if life was moving towards goodness? 
What if justice and joy were increasing? 

What if love and hope were available to all persons?

Spirit Figures Inspired by Strengths

Marymount University undergraduate students made these lovey spirit figure dolls in my Introduction to Art Therapy course.   I told them, "Today we will be making spirit figures to identify and celebrate a quality or virtue that you would like to increase in your life.  Examples of quality or virtues you may want to focus on include: appreciation, gratitude, joy, hope, optimism; freedom from anxiety and depression; health, humor and playfulness—chose any of these to focus on as you work or feel free to add your own.  If you’d like, you can write down the name of the attribute you’ve chosen, and tuck it inside your figure as you make it."



The students really liked making these figures, and surprised themselves a bit at how lovely the figures turned out, and found a lot of meaning in the process of identifing a special quality in thier lives.

Stressed out? Try Relaxation through mindfulness!

Stressed out?  Try meditation!  Here are some great links to get you started:
UCLA MARC mindful meditation podcasts (several from 3 - 19 minutes):
http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22

Center for Contemplative Mind podcasts (several from 5 - 10 minutes): http://www.contemplativemind.org/resources/audio.html

Relaxation/mindfulness podcasts (scroll down to several from 6+ minutes): http://www.allaboutdepression.com/relax/

Digital Guru video clips (several 2 min.):
http://www.balanceintegration.com/communications_media.php

 http://www.meditationoasis.com/podcast/

From our recent Strengths Journaling workshop

Rebecca is leading a wonderful series of journaling workshops in Silver Spring, Md.  Here you see a page or two from my journal: we chose a strength to draw a symbol about in a small mandala; then added it to our journal and embellished. Yay!-it really help me to "live" the message I found in my art.

New Resources for the New Year:

Here are some great new links I'm looking at:

My friend Robert has a great e-newsletter:
http://www.intentionalhappiness.com/

He told me about the Realize2, a cool new Strengths inventory:

http://www.cappeu.com/

I'm also reading one of Robert's books on my Kindle:

Joyful at Home

Happiness sneaks up on us when we are not looking for it, doesn't it?  I was spending time at home the past week with friends and family, and made some small paper houses...

so fun and sweet.  I used my microfine glitter to add shimmery snowfall and thought up new details like a puff of pink rice paper "smoke" from the chimneys.

I hope you are also finding small moments of joy this December.

Warmly, Gioia