BT06 Workshop 37 - Enhancing Your Clinical Creativity - Peggy Papp, ACSW

Description:

The experience of feeling "stuck" is a common hazard of our profession and leaves therapists searching for creative solutions. Clinical creativity is never a solo process but always interactive, inseparable from the imagination and creativity of the clients. It is easy for therapists to get bogged down in literal definitions of problems that go counter to clients' idiosyncratic logic. This workshop will explore different ways of breaking through impasses by looking "outside the box" and changing the frame of reference from the literal to the world of personal meaning. Video tapes will demonstrate the use of metaphors, rituals, fantasies, writing and paradox in making a creative leap.

Educational Objectives:

1. To describe how a client's personal inner logic may run counter to rational solutions.
2. To describe one therapeutic ritual that will change the setting and meaning of a problem.

*Sessions may be edited for content and to preserve confidentiality*

Outline:

Enhancing Clinical Creativity in Therapy

• Workshop addresses therapist and client frustration when therapy feels stuck.

• Recommends asking clients what feels missing to create new direction.

• Therapy framed as a place to say what can’t be said at home.

Tapping into Clients' Inner Resources

• Creativity comes from client-therapist collaboration.

• Focus on uncovering clients’ beliefs, logic, and resilience.

• Examples include a woman clinging to a dysfunctional marriage and clients reimagining their self-image through personal stories.

Reframing Self-Image and Beliefs

• Use stories, metaphors, and ceremonies to shift clients’ perceptions of themselves.

• Includes rituals like writing letters or symbolic exercises to promote change.

Using Writing and Rituals

• Writing helps process emotions, track patterns, and create clarity.

• Clients create lists of emotional “debts” and “credits” to address resentment.

• Cultural ceremonies (e.g., “Norwegian day”) help integrate identity and emotion.

Creative Techniques: Sculpting & Metaphor

• Sculpting used to make abstract issues concrete through physical arrangement.

• Demonstrations include role-play, character fantasy (e.g., “The Little Mermaid”), and symbolic figures to reflect inner dynamics.

Cultural & Family Dynamics

• Couples from different backgrounds use poetry, masks, and metaphors to communicate.

• Emphasis on helping clients shift perspectives and engage in meaningful dialogue.

Symbols & Genograms

• Masks used to express withdrawal or unspoken emotions.

• Genograms help map family history and uncover inherited relational patterns.

Addressing Trauma & Loss

• Writing and creative rituals aid in processing grief and trauma.

• Case: Young boy’s psychotic episode tied to grandmother’s death resolved through a healing letter.

Live Demonstration: Pat & Steve’s Relationship

• Pat feels overwhelmed and unsupported at home; Steve feels unappreciated and withdrawn.

• Exercise: both imagine symbolic forms (King Triton, aquarium fish) to reflect relationship dynamics.

• Insights reveal unspoken power struggles, roles, and emotional needs.

Therapeutic Intervention

• Assigned writing task to observe and reflect on each other’s feelings and behaviors.

• Couples report positive changes and greater emotional awareness.

Final Reflections

• Emphasis on playfulness, imagination, and mutual understanding in therapy.

• Participants encouraged to integrate creative techniques into practice.