Caring Psychological Counseling

  Two recent events prompted me to write down some thoughts on the growing field of Art Therapy. First was UB’s Andrea Watkins’ informative article on the Adult Coloring Craze, its benefits and its limitations. The second being the death of one of Chicago’s own, Art Therapy pioneer Harriet Wadeson. Ms Wadeson was the founder of two Art Therapy programs in Chicago, one at the University of Illinois Chicago Campus and the other at Northwestern University in Evanston. The loss of Ms Wadeson, as well as other early practitioners in the field, makes it all the more important for practitioners such as myself, who are trained in the use of art for therapeutic growth to continue to spread the word about the work to which these caring, insightful individuals dedicated their lives. The power inherent in creation is a powerful force within all of us. That drive to create life is a part of the same continuum we feel to create something that defines who we are as individuals. Art can be an...

  What I tell couples who seek me out for counseling when they first come to the office is that what they will experience will most likely not be therapy though the results will be therapeutic. Therapy in most cases should be pursued individually with occasional visits by a spouse or significant other if relationship issues were a primary concern. Couples counseling as I practice is a structure-based, communications-focused method of reaching out to possibility the most important person in your life. A means to re-establish what has been lost or building what may never have been there from the beginning. Forming deeper more flexible connections that can grow and change as individuals grow and the relationship changes is at the heart of couples counseling and providing the couple with the tools they need to achieve that connection is the counselor’s role. I often say to couples that I want them to leave the office being able to do my job. To be able to bridge the difficult times, ...