| The following article appeared in the journal Equine Facilitated Mental Health Association (EFMHA), volume 10 - Issue 1 - Spring 2006. |
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Weaving Expressive Arts into Equine Experiential Learning: A Picture is worth a Thousand Words by Melissa Shandley and Laurie Levon, LCSW
You can keep your Equine guided practices alive and interesting by incorporating Expressive Arts into your sessions. Expressive arts exercises may be used to introduce elements into a session or might bring a session to a close. A creative format can establish an environment that is open and gives permission for an individual to begin to explore their authenticity. For some individuals a nonverbal process is required. Finding the words to describe what a client is feeling or has just experienced in relation to a horse can be a challenge. The shapes and colors in a mandala, a collage of images, or a prayer stick created from found objects in nature might better capture the participant’s inner process. Try a simple process yourself: **
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1. Think about how you want to “touch” the world(or your work, horse, etc)
2. Trace your hand on a piece of paper
3. Take a few minutes and fill the image with color, shapes, words, or symbols
4. Allow your images to flow out spontaneously without judgment
5. Reflect on what you see and give it a title
6. Allow yourself to stay in curious exploration and share your drawing with someone
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Through our equine and arts work we are aware of the shared skill set for successfully facilitating both EEL/EAP and Expressive Arts activities. We present the following important characteristics for your consideration.
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Characteristics of an Expressive Arts Facilitator
- Inner Journey – having the awareness that the inner journey can be exhilarating, frightening, or exhausting.
- Presence – the ability to be present but not intrusive. Encouraging and supportive, creates a container for client to take risks, but does not push.
- Self Responsibility – has faith that the client knows how to take care of themselves and that you are responsible to them but not for them.
- Respect - for the client’s decisions – respect is the willingness to look again, to be open to challenges of personal belief system’s and respects client’s truth.
- Boundaries – practices clear boundaries and models boundary setting for client. Has clear understanding of the scope of practice, making appropriate referrals when situations indicate.
- Client exploration – ability to facilitate and value personal meaning from what is created verses interpreting. Recognizes there is often a difference in individual meaning verses the group story.
- Creates Context – is clear about themes, instructions, how activities connect to personal work. Functions as a witness for client’s process.
- Integrates – connects the Expressive Art experience to the Equine experience. Invites client to trust their vision, intuition, insight and perception.
- Open Minded – words and action demonstrate openness to learning from the participants. Models openness and tolerance for differences.
- Beginners Mind – approaches Expressive Art with the attitude of the learner – with curiosity and a willingness to be caught learning. There are no mistakes.
- Offers Experience – Lowers barriers to experience for client by being well prepared, experiments with ideas before presentation, doesn’t get attached to an outcome.
** We want to acknowledge and express gratitude to our creative colleague, Priscilla Marden for sharing Touching the World Hand Pictures. This is a favorite journaling exercise in her Horse Warriors™ in Jackson, Wyoming.
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Laurie Levon, LCSW, is an Arizona licensed therapist in private practice in Tucson for the past 18 years. More recently she has transitioned to an Equine Assisted Practice and part time retreat services director at Sunstone Healing Center where equine retreats enrich the lives of people touched by cancer.
Melissa Shandley has been involved in healthcare and wellness for over 25 years. Her journey includes the Mayo Clinic where she assisted in surgery. She also coordinated both the web-based training for Dr. Andrew Weil’s fellowship in Integrative Medicine and Special Projects for Linda Kohanov’s Epona Apprenticeship Program.
Laurie and Melissa began their partnership after meeting at an equine workshop in the fall of 2001. Both are Epona Approved Facilitators. You can learn about their Equine Guided programs at www.theeyeofthehorse.com.
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