For this story I wanted to capture my work with clients in individual therapy. 

I have been meeting with this client for over a year now. She has complex PTSD and is attending therapy for the first time in her  life. I wanted to incorporate art in our session because she expressed an interest in learning more about herself. 

I chose The Diamond Inside Me because it’s all about discovering self-worth. I set up the art supplies before she arrived. After welcoming her into my office, I shared about the supplies we had available and introduced the art activity. I read the story that goes with the workshop, about discovering that everyone has a diamond inside of them, then I asked open-ended questions and actively listened and validated her feelings as she shared. 

I then invited her to create a canvas highlighting her worth. I gave her time to create while I played music in the background and worked on a mandala to join her in the creative process. 

When she was done, I invited her to share anything she wanted to about her art. I listened as she shared positive aspects of herself and her self-worth that came to light while she was creating. She cried as she shared remembering that she likes to dance, be creative, and listen to others. She was also pleasantly surprised to realize she could paint and found it relaxing. She even expressed an interest in buying her own paint to continue engaging in art for self-reflection.

Along with the sample art pieces and picture of the workshop setup, I also included a picture of my door featuring some of my clients’ artwork since I was introduced to AWBW back in 2014.