Rapattoni

Yesterday, I met with Mrs. Rapattoni and it was very refreshing. We talked about how this class is going and even some personal stuff. 99.9% of the time was spent weeding through the ten pounds of research I have collected over time. Now, I know I have been procrastinating but a lot of my hours are spent organizing the information that I have and figuring out a grabbing introduction. I am feeling very confident about my paper and I hope that it comes out as a success.

Painting

In an article I read a couple of weeks ago, there was a woman who was bipolar and every time she felt angry or manic, she would paint. All of her negative energy was released through the tip of her paint brush and transformed into a work of art which was merely a reflection of her emotions. This has recently inspired me and encouraged me to find a way to release all of my negative energy rather than lashing out on someone or something. I know I am not bipolar but I do throw tantrums. Sleeping or eating is not a good way to handle your emotions. All it does is repress your feelings instead of release them. Hopefully this weekend, I can make it over to a craft store and purchase a canvas and some paint. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Ask For Help

Never be afraid to ask for help. I have been using EBSCOhost as well as GALE all along and I could not figure out why I was not getting any really awesome articles. Well, yesterday Ms.Hans pointed out that I did not place a check next to all of the things I wanted to search for. Once I took her advice, everything worked out great. I ended up getting an article about art therapy that was extremely helpful. Speaking to Mr. Abrams about my thesis made me realize that in order to really prove my point, I should change the thesis to something I will have an easier time proving. I felt more confident in changing my thesis so close to the due date and I already have information stored that will be great for my paper. It's not what you know, it's how you use the information you know to make your paper as good quality as possible. Next time, I will not wait so long to ask questions. Trial and error is what it is all about!

Research Paper

I know we only have a week left for this project and I am a little worried. Mr. Shannon talked to the mentors in 3rd period freshman seminar class and he asked what was stressing us out so bad. Honestly, I get nervous with trying to finish up projects because towards the end, I get lazy or I procrastinate and cram things in last minute. Usually, I think I work better under pressure but I know it is a bad habit that needs to change. I cannot live my whole life pushing things to last minute because I do not know what assignments or projects in other classes are going to pop up. Then, I'll really be in trouble, trying to find the energy and ideas to finish the main project while working on everything else. It would save me tons of stress if I work my behind off this week and try to get the project done early. Negativity has to be thrown out the window and I need to stay positive and focused. Wish me luck!

How my attitudes have changed.

Since the project, my patience was very low and my understanding of others was one dimensional. Now, I am more patient, with kids especially, and I definately try to see things from everyone's point of view, rather than just mine. I was always very considerate towards other's feelings but recently, I have tried to get to know more about people's background to get a better perceptive of how their past or home life has made them who they are today. Working in the after school program has helped me gain patience as well as learn how to put my foot down when I need to. When I go over to the elementary school or the middle school and I meet a group of kids for the first time, I hold off on the judgements. Instead, I listen to what they have to say and take their personality for what it is. I think these new traits could really help me when I become a counselor or working with children.

Falling behind

I feel like everything is coming down on me at once and it is very nerve racking. My grades are pretty decent but I know they could be better than they are. Due to my absence, I have fell behind in a couple of my classes and missed out on a couple of important lessons. In psychology, I missed a part of the movie Butterfly Effect but fortunately, I was able to borrow it and catch up. Math is very difficult for me right now, I'm not used to being completely lost. With the Senior project, I feel as though the week is flying by and it is difficult to find time to meet with both my sponsor and mentor weekly. Filling out the blog sheet and the reflections on the back has become pretty tough for me to. I am glad that I was lucky enough to be chosen for this class and get the opportunity to explore what counselors do but I had no idea what this class had in store for me. Senioritis is making it hard to stay focused and stay on track. Hopefully, I get a boost of energy- enough for me to finish the year off. Holla

You can't always get what you want.

So, today, I went over to school #4 to meet with Mrs. Burns and I was informed that something had just came up and she needed to take care of business. Instead of being mad and discouraged, I realized that things are just going to pop up sometimes, especially when a person is a guidance counselor.

New info.

I'm finding that everything I have learned so far throughout my life has some sort of connection in a weird way. It is strange, but if everyone really sat down and thought about it, they would soon realize that all of our classes in school, all of the lessons we have learned are linked somehow. For example, sometimes when we read books in English, there is a historical background to it; therefore, we're combining literature with history. The only reason this has come to my attention is because recently, as I have been working little by little on this research paper, I have noticed that psychology plays a big role in how we live our every day lives and how people can break down a picture or painting into bits and pieces and come up with a logical explanation as to why or how the picture was created- what were the feelings behind it, what could have caused these feelings, what can you do to overcome these feelings. Well, just thought I would share some insight! I'm sure I'll have lots to blog about later.

It has been five days since I posted my last blog- I know, Mr. Abrams, it's pretty sad. So here I am, home sick, blogging about some information I have just learned. First and foremost, the packet about writing formal oulines has helped me out a bunch and I feel a little bit more confident now with my outline. While I was catching up on some more reading in my book about Art therapy and some techniques that are used, I have a better understanding of art therapy. Jean Piaget, one of the most influencial developmental psychologists of all time, studied his own children to find out exactly how they problem solved at an early age. He developed a theory about intellectual development. Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational are the names of the four stages Jean came up with. Piaget believes that most teenagers have reached the formal operational stage. The formal operational stage basically means they are capable of abstract thinking. BUT! before this happens, a child needs to go through concrete operational, which usually happens around age 7 and during this stage, kids know how to place information into categories and order it but have a hard time placing that information into words or explanations. It is believed that around the age of eleven and continuing onto adolescense, children reach the formal operational stage. Unfortunately, some people do not reach this stage, even as adults. Art therapists need to know how to properly assess which stage their client is in and work it. If the client has not reached the formal operational stage, they will have a more difficult time with their drawings and may need to start off with more simple activities instead of the more complex, reflexive ones.

Interactive Art Therapy

I just took out a book from the Camden County Library and it is about... DUN DUN DUNNNN, none other than ART THERAPY!! So, while I am stuck in slow-motion and caught a slight case of senioritis, I have been reading little by little every day. One part that caught my attention was the intro. Since "psych lingo" is sometimes hard for clients to understand, by looking at their drawings, they can visually SEE their ideas and feelings. Therefore, they get a better understanding of themselves instead of trying to comprehend what their psychologist is telling them.

LMS Renaissance

Friday, I went to the middle school to help out with the renaissance pep rally. Besides the gym being a sauna, I had a good time. I helped Mrs. Rapattoni gather up some 6Th graders to participate in some of the games. It was kinda cool because I knew a lot of the kids there from NJ After 3. I could definitely see myself being a guidance counselor. They don't just mediate kids and talk about problems, they are very involved with school activities.

E.D. Boys - Part II

I went to Mrs. Rapattoni's office yesterday to meet up with the E.D. boys again (I previously blogged about them not too long ago). Finally, I got to see a side of them that I was warned about. The first time I met with them, they were total sweethearts but this time, there was a slight problem. Mrs. Rapattoni had two 6th grade boys and Ms. Ryan had another two in 7th grade so everyone agreed to combine the two groups together to try and work on getting along. Since the last time I met Mrs. Rapattoni's boys, they decided that I could pick the game the next time I come in. I picked Trouble and everything seemed perfectly fine until it was time to choose who got which color. Popping the bubble to see who gets to go first was easy but once we had to pick the color, the real trouble happened! Since the board doesn't have a regular spinner like Life does, we tipped the board upside down and spun it around to find out who would get which color. One boy, Ted, said that he would only play if he had the color red. Unfortunately, Ted did not land on the color red so he stole some of the game pieces and hid under the table. Mrs. Rapattoni and Ms. Ryan gave him the opportunity to leave and go back to class rather than play with the rest of the boys but he never left so we had to call Mr. Bullicki in. He did not cooperate so Officer Burlap was called in. Ted had to be restrained while the other three boys played the game quietly and got along just fine. Eventually his mother arrived and Ted went home on suspension for a couple of days. I can certainly say that yesterday was not like an average middle school visit!

Mara Williams

http://www.maramcwilliams.com/articles/2005-07_art_therapy.php



Mara McWilliams is a bipolar woman who struggled with this disorder her whole entire life. She goes into euphoric manias where she hallucinates and becomes extremely depressed to the point where she is harming herself and possibly suicidal. Throughout the years, being bipolar was unidentifiable- people rarely were diagnosed bipolar so Mara went on trying to manage her rollercoaster-like emotions. Throughout this time, she found that when she went into these euphoric manias, she was at her most creative peak. All of her art work around the time was very expressive and detailed. Art therapy helped her release all of her negative energy onto paper or a canvas instead of throwing tantrums. It is understandable why people turn to art to relax and find themselves.