Creativity
in
Counseling
Act Onward
- Therapy Seattle -

a few elements of my

creative approach include:

imagination

narrative

role

embodiment

play

symbol & metaphor

...and more!

What are role, narrative, play, and embodiment? How do they show up in therapy?

"I'm telling your story"

Lin-Manuel Miranda
In the Heights

We’re all pretty much steeped in narratives from very earl on. Whether through books, or movies, or simply hearing our friends talk about their days, we’re always getting stories. Some stories start with, “Once upon a time, in a far away kingdom,” while other start with, “Guess who I ran into at the grocery store!” A story doesn’t have to look or sound any particular way to be a very powerful thing.

Stories are a handy way for our brains to make sense of a large number of facts and events; they’re kind of like a big game of connect-the-dots. What’s interesting to me is the way that you create stories to make sense of the facts and events in your life. What stories do you tell yourself? Which ones are helping you? Which ones are not? Which ones might need to be revised or rewritten?

In sessions, I frequently pull in stories from any number of sources (children’s books, classic literature, movies, TV shows, theater, songs, etc.). I also love when clients bring in the stories that are meaningful to them! The stories that we tell, whether true or make-believe, say a lot about how we move through the world, and I’m eager to listen to yours.

Therapy is hard work. But can it also be play?

Humans “play” a lot: they play everything from board games to grand pianos. Play can be a question of pretend (playing make-believe), or it can be extracting amusement from something ordinary (playing with your hair, playing with your food). While it sometimes means taking things lightly, it doesn’t always — just ask a professional athlete (who plays a sport) or your nearest grandmaster (who plays competitive chess).

I could keep going with examples, but what does “play” mean in therapy? At the end of the day, play means stepping out of everyday reality — and then re-engaging with new rules. In play, everyday objects (like wooden tokens or inflated balls) are imbued with new significance: let’s apply that same kind of insight to the events in your life.

It’s easy to get stuck in the literal reality of circumstance. I invite you to step outside of all that, then re-engage in a new and different way. We can use tools like improv, role play, and games to get things underway. Whether the process is light and filled with humor, or whether it’s quiet and intense, therapy is your playground, and you get to decide how we play.

Therapy is more than words.

We sometimes talk about “having” a body, as though our bodies are just objects that we own — rather than integral parts of our human experience. As embodied beings, we can’t really, fully escape the fact of embodiment. That doesn’t mean we always really, fully connect with it, either.

Practicing embodiment in session can mean anything from bringing gentle awareness to what’s happening for you somatically, all the way to having a dance party in the office (and any other number of variations along the way). It doesn’t have to look any particular way, and there’s no assumption that any particular kind of movement needs to work for your body. At its heart, embodiment is all about connecting with an essential piece of what it is to be you — which is, among other things, a person with a mind, with a heart — and with a body.

We all have roles. We play them every day.

Roles have a few different sources. They can be based in relationships (the parent, the lover, the boss). They can also come from actions or occupations (the baker, the teacher, the joker), or from qualities (the eccentric one, the quiet one, the mischievous one). We all have a few different kinds (for instance, some of my own roles are: the confidante, the theatre artist, and the quirky one).

Just like the costumes in an actor’s wardrobe, some roles fit well, and some roles just… don’t. Some might feel like a favorite outfit that you put together for yourself — while others came as well-intentioned (but hideous and uncomfortable) gifts from someone who doesn’t know your taste at all.

Generally, we take roles on and off as needed. But sometimes we get stuck.

Through drama therapy, we’ll explore the roles that you’re playing. We’ll take a look at where, when, and with whom they show up, and we’ll assess which ones are serving you well and which ones are not. You might find that some roles are like everyday wear, while others get folded up and put away in your wardrobe for only certain occasions. Others you might need to get rid of. In that sense, therapy is a lot like organizing your closet — and my own role, while we’re working together, is to help you sort the socks, fold the shirts, and figure out what goes where.

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Creativity in Counseling Act Onward - Therapy Seattle -

"I'm telling your story"

Lin-Manuel Miranda In the Heights

Creativity
in
Counseling
Act Onward
- Therapy Seattle -

Lin-Manuel Miranda
In the Heights