Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice

Yesterday I took one of the first big steps towards becoming "part of" at Adler. I attended a talk by Elena Quintana, the Executive Director for the Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice. Adler has two Institutes for Social Change -- one is the IPSSJ and the other is the Institute on Social Exclusion. Both institutes provide opportunities for learning and discussion, participate in community research and dialogue, and promote Adler's vision for creating socially responsible clinicians and practitioners.

The emphasis on social justice and working in the community strongly attracted me to Adler. It was one of the primary reasons I chose this particular school. It seems fate, coincidence, or God that of the dozen schools in the country with an art therapy program, the one leading the way towards social justice and community-based psychology was one of the two in Chicago where I lived.

The talk yesterday was awesome. The topic was Adverse Childhood Experiences and how do we continue to work towards diminishing their occurrences and long-term effects. In the week since I've been coming to Adler events -- orientation, my first days of class, the talk yesterday - I am already become open to a whole different field of psychology, the area of trauma. Trauma takes place in so many different ways from childhood through adulthood. It can be as "simple" as moving for a parent's job relocation in kindergarten to experiencing your parents' divorce in high school to the more severe experiences of sexual assault or rape or chronic illness. I am not sure exactly what areas I'm interested in yet, but the idea of resiliency and how can we be a positive force/vehicle for change as clinicians, is a huge draw for me. I am really looking forward to diving in to this idea more and talking it out with the different experts on campus.

The talk yesterday showed me again how differently I'm showing up to grad school than I would've even a year ago. I'm not afraid to introduce myself and ask questions. Yesterday I met all three staff members of the IPSSJ just because I was unafraid to ask questions. I am so excited to get to know them better and hopefully become involved in some of their projects.

Today is my long class day - Community Psychology this morning (SO excited for this class!) and History/Theory of Art Therapy. This means I need to pack my lunch so I have something healthy to eat during the hour break between classes!

Love,
Briana

First Day Done!

I was reminded again today of something I saw and learned last week at Orientation. I am a much different person than I was in high school, college, or in any previous NEW situations. This is the first time entering a new "community" since coming into Al-Anon, and I can feel the difference. I got to show up so differently. I wasn't afraid of putting myself out there, introducing myself, initiating conversations and collaborations. I recognize and know the names of almost everyone in my art therapy class. I don't say that to brag, but to acknowledge to myself the importance of relationship-building to me. I am the same way at Starbucks. I know the names of probably 50 or more regulars... I have made it a point to make connections and build those connections into relationships. I intend to do the same at school!

I am however very very rusty in the academic sense. My brain hurts from having to think intellectually today! It will take a couple weeks to get back into the swing of reading and critical thinking. Luckily I don't have class this coming Monday for Labor Day, so I have an extra day to do some reading and start some research. CRAZY!

For now I have to get back into work mode... tomorrow's a Starbucks day. Totally weird to bounce back and forth between school-mode and Starbucks-mode. I'll get into that rhythm too! Good night all.

-Briana

Back in the saddle

After a five almost six month hiatus from blogging, I am back in the saddle. I'm taking a cue from my almost-20-year-old cousin Allison who is starting her sophomore year at Iowa State. She did a month excursion in Belize this past summer and blogged every day during her experience. She has picked the blogging back up now that she's in school, and I thought I would like to do the same. I won't write every day, but I will use this as a place to pen some thoughts as I go through my grad school experience.

And at this point I'll pause and say HOLY CRAP! I am FINALLY starting grad school!!!

Today is my first day of class for the Masters in Art Therapy program I'm beginning in Chicago. I have been working towards this day for over 3.5 years, from the moment I found out about art therapy on Marylhurst's website and said "Oh my gosh, that's what I want to do! That's how I can make the world a better place!" (I still think that sounds so corny, but it literally was what came out of my mouth). Every step of the way, I have known for a fact this is what I'm supposed to do with my life. Things have fallen into place, and the journey I've taken since leaving Charis Ministries and beginning prerequisite classes at the City Colleges of Chicago has led me to this point. I started working at Starbucks, I joined Al-Anon, I moved in with Audrey. Those three things alone have been life-changing, and have helped me grow into a mature self-aware young adult who is starting a career-driven graduate program today!

I am a little bit nervous. I printed off my syllabi last night, and oh man. This is going to be a tough semester! Every term will probably be tough terms, but because this is the first one, it feels more overwhelming. I have four main classes plus a professional development seminar. All four classes have a group project/presentation, and at least two have a final paper of 10-20 pages (the 20-page paper is a grant proposal, oh boy! I knew I'd never get away from grant-writing but a 20-page proposal in my first semester of grad school is a little much). However, my History & Theory of Art Therapy class has a daily drawing journal requirement, and I'm beyond excited about that. It'll help me keep my sketching skills sharp and will allow me creative expression on a daily basis.

One of my tendencies when I start to feel overwhelmed is to start to compartmentalize my life. I automatically want to limit my extra activities so I have time to study. I automatically want to change my mind about finding a gym/getting a gym membership and how often I'll work, so I have time for school work and my meetings. However, if I've learned anything the past 3 years in program, it's that balance is KEY. I have to have fun. I have to exercise. I have to work. And yes, I'll have to make sacrifices in order to have time to study, but that's okay. As long as I'm still taking care of me in the other areas of my life as well. I imagine I will not go to all three meetings every week. I imagine I'll find 2-3 days a week to fit in an exercise routine. I imagine I'll find the pockets of study time that work with my schedule. What do I do about step-work? Build it into social time, and have people I can meet up with to do step-work. Grad school can and will be manageable, as long as I don't tense up and freak out!

In the end, while it might feel scary and overwhelming today, I just keep remembering how excited I am to start this, how excited I am to learn, and how good it feels to be doing what I know I'll love and what I know I'm meant to do. Just for today, I will be grateful for the opportunity and be excited for what lies ahead.

Thanks Ally for motivating me to blog again! Love you kiddo.

Hugs, Briana