Creative Crisis Care

Creative Crisis Care workshops are experiential events that rely heavily on the arts and role playing to uncover the patterns that lead to crisis and the tools that guide us safely through difficult times. We are looking to put a creative spin on recovery to keep it fresh and motivating. They can last from 45 minutes to 6 hours. The longer the more opportunity to create safety and depth. One does not have to be in crisis to deal with critical moments. In fact, it’s best to prepare for the ‘zero hour’ while one is feeling better and can see their way through.

Suicide Prevention:

Suicide Denied

This is a creative approach to a very difficult topic. First there is a mime piece that poignantly addresses the need for extending a hand to those struggling with suicidal ideation and behaviors. Then there is a fun warm up game that teaches the importance of creating community around those suffering. A shared writing exercise helps to enhance empathy and a group art project supports participants in discovering paths to recovery. (People have claimed it to be the most fun they have had in mental health healing.)

The Lighter Side of Suicide

Learn about suicide while playing the popular TV game show of the seventies, Hollywood Squares. This informative workshop challenges the knowledge of participants regarding the myths and facts surrounding suicide and evidence based practices used in supporting suicidal people.

It’s A Wonderful Life

Do you believe that the world would be a better place without you? This workshop is based on the popular Christmas movie of the 1940’s, ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’, in which the main character is allowed to see what the world would have been like without him, just before attempting suicide. Participants will have the opportunity to consider this question. Through creative role playing and discussion they will celebrate the unique gifts of their lives.

Suicide On Trial: Choice Vs. Destiny

Here we address a common issue that makes suicide prevention very difficult- the claim that one doesn’t have a choice but to end one’s life. In this workshop which is set up as a court scene, participants representing both ‘life’ and ‘suicide’ have the opportunity to express their ‘sides of the coin’. Participants, relying loosely on scripts, guide us into a deeper dialogue on the ethics and emotions of suicide. We come to see that being heard and ‘having one’s day in court' is the key to healing.

From Suicide To Celebration

It is most important during recovery from suicide to celebrate every little step that brings us closer to ‘home’. If you like baseball, this workshop is for you. We compare recovery to a baseball diamond in which the pitcher is the mind throwing judgmental thoughts at us. Our constant journey around the bases, where we work on feelings beneath the thoughts, brings us ever closer to home. The trick is to find ways to stay on home base as long as possible. We even learn the value of taking time off to sit in the dugout and tend to our wounds.

The Bridge: Consumers and Clinicians Working Together

Building a bridge between those who serve and those who are served is necessary to create stability in any organization. Suicide, however, is a topic that can throw a monkey wrench into any group. Though originally designed to create open lines of communication between mental health care providers and consumers, this model can apply to any groups that are having a conflict which needs to be resolved.

Bullying:

Putting Bullycide Aside

Creative Crisis Care treats the topic of bullying as a tragic play in three acts, which we refer to as ‘the bully’, ‘the bullied’ and the ‘bystander’. At some point in all our lives we play each part even if just for a moment. Mime, role playing and group art are among the activities that support each participant in identifying bullying behavior and finding empathy for those who strongly experience it. We will study the various forms of bullying and practice tools for dealing with them. These workshops are designed for ages 8 and up. They can be created for any length of time.
There is also a 12 class series that allows for a more in depth look at the topic.

Other Workshops:

The Unspoken Word

Some people cannot describe their pain with words. Discover alternative methods of communication that are fun, creative and nonverbal. This workshop includes performances of mime and theater pieces on mental health issues. There is a unique theater game that uses sound, movement and art to play back feelings beneath peoples’ stories. We will discuss ways to reach the shyest and most verbally challenged of participants.

Creative Team Building: Boundaries

This two part workshop creatively explores what life would be like without the need for boundaries and how to effectively use them when they are necessary. Stimulating discussion wrapped around a myriad of interactive role plays and exercises offers participants plenty of opportunities to discover their own boundaries and ways to use them that engage others rather than repel.

Contact

(856) 266-0709

Workshops