Together we will
H.A.T.C.H.
Helping Arts To Create Healing
A PLAN
For your mental health and wellness
What is Creative Arts Therapy?
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Creative Arts Therapy is for anyone who wants to express themselves more fully, explore interpersonal relationship issues and tackle life's challenges in creative and dynamic ways. You don't have to be an artist to benefit from creative arts therapy, you just have to be open to the process.
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Creative Arts Therapy uses a mix of play, art, music, dance & movement, drama, poetry & creative writing within the context of psychotherapy, counseling, rehabilitation, or health care.
ABOUT ME
Hello, my name is Jason Conover. I am a New York State Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT) who studied drama therapy at New York University. I am a Registered Drama Therapist and a Board Certified Trainer (RDT/BCT) through the North American Drama Therapy Association, and a certified Time Slips Facilitator.
I am a drama therapist with a multidisciplinary approach to working with clients drawing from all of the expressive arts therapies. Approaches might include:
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role play
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story -telling
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the use of sound and movement
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engaging with projective objects like positive affirmation cards, masks and puppets
I combine the creative arts therapies with cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to provide a safe environment to explore interpersonal relationship issues. Specializing in working with issues around substance use, creative problem solving, and issues related to the LGBTQI community.
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I am currently developing a new creative arts therapy method called Improvised Musical Drama Therapy (IMDT) that utilizes the hero's journey as originally conceptualized by Joseph Campbell and later simplified by the drama therapist and creator of role theory and the role method in drama therapy, Robert Landy.
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IMDT explores the four roles of the hero's journey:
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the hero/ shero
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the goal
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the obstacle
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the guide
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The individual or group member further explores these roles through the creation of a series of "I Am" poems:
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I am the hero/ shero
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I am the goal
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I am the obstacle
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I am the guide
After the poems have been written and the four roles have been created and developed, the individual or group member moves through a fill-in-the blank short story, a mini "hero's/ shero's journey." Then the individual or group member taking on the hero/shero role is invited to sing in the roles of the goal, the obstacle and the guide.
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As the therapist, I provide singing prompts and encourage the individual or group member to sing along and to improvise in role whatever comes to mind as it relates to their own personal story.
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The IMDT Method has been implemented with survivors of trauma and a case study will be written up for future publication.
