33

Reflections on the use of creative activities and the resulting visual presentations to enrich group work and build resilience.

Presenter

Abstract

A counsellor and a psychologist, each from different student counselling units at the University of South Africa and the University of Stellenbosch respectively, discuss their practice of using visual presentations or creative activities during their group sessions.  Students are provided with the opportunity to engage with different types of art materials. Subsequently, the creative products are reflected upon and assist the students in articulating and voicing unexpressed aspects of their lives. 

In the case of Unisa students, the quiet creative time provides a breathing space to sort through their emotions. Group sessions make them visible to each other. Distance learning is a lonely experience and being among fellow students allow space to discuss unique Unisa issues and problems which helps to build resilience. Group members become  one another’s support base. The visual representations make their inner tensions visible as their Unisa experience intensifies daily challenges. 

At the Cape Town campus of Unisa, the student counselling unit runs two open groups one Saturday a month: one group for undergraduate students and another for postgraduates. The core of the undergraduate group formed in December 2017 and although five more members brought the total to fourteen members, six are regular attendees. The core of the postgraduate group formed in May 2018 and acquired another two members bringing the total to six members of whom three are regular attendees. The groups are called UG: Debrief your student experience and the PG: Debrief your student experience. The commitment is to attend until the qualification is completed.

In the Unisa context the creative activities have evolved since the start of the group.  Creative Art facilitators moved from drawings only to include collage, with fabric, needle and thread. The process of creating the visual presentations imitates the daily academic choices they make ranging from checking in internally and finding their inner resolve to complete an academic task, whilst balancing other life roles.

At Stellenbosch University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (located at Tygerberg), students are exposed to prolonged stress. A culture of masking problems informs a process of isolation and disconnection.  Students often see their personal struggles (academic and otherwise) as a form of weakness and fear exposure. In this context the process of creative activities as well as the reflections upon these creative products are utilized to create a space for connection, normalisation and serves to build resilience.

The group is called “Connect through Art” and is facilitated as a group setting with an eight-session commitment. The value of this process as perceived by the facilitator as well as the students will be discussed in this workshop. 

 NB: The presenters do not proclaim to be art therapists. However, both presenters have been exposed to and have utilised art and creative activities as a process and rich metaphor to inform therapeutic conversations in their training and practice as psychologist/counsellor even before Art Therapy was deemed a separate category by the HPCSA. Both presenters have recently attended training workshops with an art therapist. They both are therefore comfortable in utilising creative activities and products in facilitating therapeutic contexts.

With permission of the students, pictures of some of the products and visual presentations of students from both universities are shared. During the panel discussion the presenters will comment on the impact this approach has on them and their students.

Presentation & Resources