CANY Learning Collaborative Updates; Summer Conferences and more

CANY E-News

June 2012
CANY Learning Collaborative Updates;
Summer Conferences and more

IN THIS ISSUE

CANY Learning Collaborative: Program Completed

CANY Presents at Two Summer Conferences

Drama Therapy from an International Perspective

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CANY Learning Collaborative: Program Completed

Participants from the
Lower Naugatuck Valley Parent Child Resource Center

Congratulations to all of the 2011/2012 CANY Learning Collaborative Participants who completed the program on June 8th!

We are very proud of the participants from Boys & Girls Village, The Children's Center of Hamden, Child Guidance Center of Mid-Fairfield County and Lower Naugatuck Valley Parent Child Resource Center.

Laura Mutrie, LCSW, Director of Clinical Services at PCRC had this to say about her experience: "Parent Child Resource Center (PCRC) became interested in CANY's model of therapeutic drama when four of my colleagues and I attended a full-day trauma workshop in New York. The CANY model was represented through a demonstration of techniques that included audience participation. When we received the notification that CANY was recruiting for a Learning Collaborative, PCRC jumped on board with enthusiasm! There has not been a moment that any of us have regretted it."

"The learning sessions were fun and informative. The projects, from the original story board to the goodbye group, were all meaningful and challenging for each of us on both personal and professional levels. The trainers were supportive and available. The data collection could have been complicated, but our team worked together to figure out how to utilize the scarce resources. We wanted to succeed for our clients. The two greatest benefits I see are that my staff has grown and developed into better group clinicians because of this process. That means our clients are receiving even better services. Our clients have benefited by being able to represent their trauma in collective and nonthreatening ways that are playful, respectful and creative."

"We are all so excited that the CANY Learning Collaborative is going to continue for next year and are looking forward to sharing our knowledge and lessons learned with those groups that are lucky enough to be part of this project!"

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Interested in joining the 2012/2013 CANY Learning Collaborative? Send a message to Training Director, Lucy McLellan.

CANY Presents at Two Summer Conferences

It may be summer, but we're certainly not on vacation! CANY staff members are presenting at two different conferences this month.

We are pleased to return to the Postgraduate Center for Mental Health's Forensic Services Academy here in Manhattan on Friday, June 22nd. This time, Training Director Lucy McLellan and Program Director Heidi Landis (pictured above) will lead a training on Drama Therapy & Complex Trauma. This particular three-hour workshop seeks to offer participants a didactic and experiential training in the use of drama therapy with individuals and groups impacted by trauma in the early years of development. Participants will learn about the rationale behind the therapeutic use of metaphor with trauma survivors and understand the ways in which drama therapy can be used to improve client/group connections.

The bad news for E-News readers? This workshop is completely full. The good news? We're ready for what
will surely be an enthusiastic group on Friday.

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We've been north to Connecticut and west to Wisconsin. Now, CANY is heading south to Greenville, South Carolina! Heidi Landis will lead the Drama Therapy track at this year's Applied Theatre Center Conference: Applied Theatre in Action! Through role playing and theatre based exercises and experiences, groups around the US are using theatre as a form of rehabilitation with great success. People working with the homeless, recovering addicts, at risk youth, the incarcerated and other underserved groups will benefit from this training.

This track even offers credit through the National Association for Drama Therapy.

We've heard that there are still a few spots left in Heidi's track. Registration for the three-day conference that starts on June 28th is VERY reasonably priced. Make sure you send us a message if you plan to attend.

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You can visit the PCMH and the ATC online.

Photo Credit: Ben Strothmann

Drama Therapy from an International Perspective

Earlier this month, CANY Executive Director Jonathan Hilton attended the CONTACT Program (Conflict Transformation Across Cultures) at SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont. The core philosophy of the program is embodied in one word: transformation.

While we often report on conference presentations and attendance, our story has a unique international twist this time. CONTACT participants join a global community of individuals committed to nonviolent methods of resolving conflict and the promotion of justice, human rights, and respect for the amazing diversity of the world's people.

So how does the CANY model of drama therapy fit into this program? Jonathan (pictured above) easily responded to this question during a two-hour presentation to his fellow attendees. He talked about how drama therapy can be an effective tool to help those who have been affected by trauma. And since the majority of the 60 people at his presentation live with the turmoil of war and political conflict in Nepal, Kashmir, Pakistan, Congo, Sudan, Nigeria, Israel, Palastine and many other regions, they need tools to build peace and help heal their people.

Jonathan's presentation was very well received. Many of the CONTACT participants run programs that help children and adults who have endured trauma and are interested in new ways to help their communities. Should CANY staff members start dusting off their passports? Maybe not yet, but CONTACT certainly gave CANY a chance to do what we always strive to do: develop positive new relationships.

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To learn more about CONTACT, visit www.sit.edu

Photo Credit: Brian Snyder, SIT Graduate Institute