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| Cool Careers: Art Therapist By: Jennifer Heath Have you spent your whole life dreaming about a job where you can work with students to build seven-foot tall totem poles out of old fence posts, construct statues and environments out of popsicle sticks and teach students how to create plaster masks of their faces? No, these are not job descriptions for a professional toy tester but rather interesting projects that Celine Hunt, a clinician with the Old Colony YMCA, gets to create. Since 1887, the Old Colony YMCA has provided high quality programs and services for youth and families in Southeastern Massachusetts. Celine works specifically with adolescents (between the ages of 13-17) who are referred for educational and clinical services to help them successfully complete probation and transition back into the community. As a part of their daily schedule, Celine provides small group guidance on topics such as life skills, job skills or anger management. It wouldn’t be strange to find Celine teaching her students how to cook healthy meals donning a chef hat (not literally) or providing yoga lessons to help students manage their stress levels. Celine describes her role as similar to a school counselor’s in a public school, in that she teaches classes, provides small guidance groups and meets with kids in the program and often their family members individually. “I work with kids to come up with their own goals such as completing a high school diploma, effectively managing their anger, or finding a job. I also do group therapy on topics such as emotional awareness (how we feel and how those feelings affect our behavior). The hope is that this will help them to make better choices.” Motivated and encouraged by her art teacher, Celine studied for four years at Lesley College and went on to get her Master’s at Florida State University. She never imagined that she would work in a program working with court-involved youth, but because she had worked with so many different types of people through educational internships, she was open to this new challenge. Traveling to other countries and other states also gave her the confidence to dare to try out this new position. And perhaps, not surprisingly, she really enjoys it! “My favorite parts of the program are seeing the participants’ transition from the program with higher levels of self-esteem and confidence. I love seeing how the kids use the art making process to express themselves, to relax or to cope with daily challenges. What type of person or personality would be good for this career? “You have to be extremely caring and patient but also willing to be strict and be consistent” She also kindly mentions that you need to be willing to work hard but not expect a “financial windfall.” The most important personality strengths for this position are being a good listener, seeing other people’s points of view, having a sense of humor and being flexible to new opportunities and new people. If you are interested in art therapy, Celine says to use all the resources around you. “Look for internship or volunteer possibilities in an area you might be interested in and build contacts (people who will vouch for you, write letters of recommendation and refer you to other agencies). Check out your local YMCA for interesting opportunities. Also, when the time comes, be thoughtful when looking at colleges because there are many graduate art therapy programs and very few undergraduate programs! Try to find a college where you will get to explore all of your interests. Make sure you ask a lot of questions to find a school or program that is right for you.” There is no question that Celine has talent, empathy and great passion for her work with adolescents. It is great to hear from a young woman whose strength and hard work can actually be seen through the great progress that these young men make in their lives. Imagine how different things might be if there were more caring organizations like the Old Colony YMCA or individuals such as Celine using their energies to help young boys rather than focusing just on punishing them. Now that would be real justice! |
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