Art Peer Support Classes

For this 6-week Art and Peer Support Group, it will be focusing on using art as a language of self-expression. The purpose of the group is to help the participants form self-care habits and healthy coping skills through art as well as develop new art technique skills. The participants will be asked to think of personal goals they would like towards for the duration of the 6-week group. Through the 6-weeks, the participants will be exploring different art directives each week pertaining to the purpose of the group.  In addition, participants will also participate in a pre/post questionnaire of how they experienced the group.

Description overview written by Nicole Edjan & Arielle B.K. for the syllabus

Emotion Wheel & Inner Monster/Inner Helper

Affirmation
& Self-Care

Blot Art & Rainbow Future Self

Derived from The Sanctuary Model,

“…a method for creating an organizational culture that can more effectively provide a cohesive context within which healing from psychological and socially derived forms of traumatic experience can be addressed.”  (Bloom & Farragher, 2013)

The group will be using the cognitive tool called: S.E.L.F: A Compass for the Recovery Process

It is an acronym that represents the four interactive key aspects of recovery from bad experiences.  It provides a nonlinear, cognitive behavioural, therapeutic approach for facilitating movement, regardless of whether we are talking about individual clients, families, staff problems, or whole organizational dilemmas.  It is crucial concept in the Sanctuary Model.

  1. Safety: attaining physical, psychological, social and moral safety in self, relationships, and the environment

  2. Emotional Management: identifying levels of various emotions and modulating emotion in response to memories, persons, and events.

  3. Loss: feeling grief and dealing with personal losses while recognizing that all change involves loss.

  4. Future: trying new roles, ways of relating and behaving as a “survivor” to ensure personal, professional, and organizational safety, to find meaning, to make more viable life choices and to help others.
    (Bloom & Farragher, p.53, 2013)

The art directives will be informed by this tool by correlating them as themes for the 6 weeks.

Description overview written by Nicole Edjan & Arielle B.K. for the syllabus