Art Therapy and Freedom

Well, I sure tortured myself a bit before the big day of the seminar. My fears of inadequacy were nearly unbearable at times leading up to it. It's true that the other women participating were truly "experts" when it came to working with disabled children, and it is so wonderful they were able to come and impart their wisdom and loving ways with the 75+ participants of the conference.

To cope with my fears I convinced myself that the Lord had a reason for me being there and would give me something of value to share with the people. He of course was Faithful as always. The therapeutic principles of art therapy seemed well received and the practical hands-on task was enjoyed by them as well.

As I reflected back on some of the comments of participants, I realized that there is a message of freedom integral in the practice of art as therapy and it is a message that is counter the communist ways they bared so long. As they reacted to the idea of making creative choices and using art work to develop a sense of identity, I realized that there is still a thick residue left behind from that era of oppression. The layers are being removed but the effects after all this time are still evident!

So thank you for your prayers. Some of the other ladies took pictures so I have some to share with you of my part in the conference.



You can see me up front with Andreea, my language teacher, friend and translator!



Here you only see the back of my head at the bottom of the picture as I re-explain the directions for the hands on task.



I set up four different stations; one with materials for construction,one for sculpting, another for drawing and the last of painting. They got to choose what medium to use. Overall, we had fun :)