KUCHING – Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus will be conducting a workshop for school counsellors in Kota Kinabalu on Thursday 29 September 2011. Entitled “Expressive Therapy Technique”, the one-day workshop will be conducted by Encik Mohamad Ehwan, a counsellor with the university.
“Expressive therapy is not about painting pretty pictures or making a beautiful clay vase,” says Mohamad. “It’s about helping people, in this case, the school children, use art as a process to express and release their feeling. This is especially useful for those who find it difficult to use language to express themselves,” he added.
Participants will be involved in hands-on activities which will help them understand the methodology of art therapy and experience for themselves how art therapy works. “This workshop will share the last on counselling techniques using art therapy, with the participating school counsellor,” said the registered professional counsellor.
In the school setting, art therapy provides opportunities for positive experiences which translate into enhanced classroom functioning and increased ability to understand what is being taught, he reiterates.
For this inaugural workshop, Swinburne Sarawak expects a total of 50 counsellors from about 30 schools in Kota Kinabalu to participate. The University is also thankful for the approval and support of Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri Sabah in conducting the workshop in the state.