July 31, 2009, 4:38 pm

I had an amazing meeting with a social worker the other day who has been using Chill & Spill with her clients. She shared this story:

“Chill & Spill is a clinician’s dream come true. It has helped me connect with my teens in amazing ways. For instance, before meeting a new gal, ‘Heather’, her therapist told me that she had been trying for two years to get her to open up, but to no avail. I thought immediately of Chill & Spill and started using it with her right away. Right away, she connected to it. As we worked through the book, Heather began to trust the process and a ton of stuff came ’spilling’ out as she kept exploring Chill & Spill. We discovered that she really needed to reconnect with her older sister and so I was able to facilitate that. You could see as she continued to work through the book, that many burdens she had been carrying around with her had been lifted. It’s been truly amazing to see how she has blossomed. Maybe we would have eventually gotten there on our own, but I certainly wouldn’t have been able to get there as quick as we were able to because of Chill & Spill. She was able to connect with her self and figure out what she needed.”

July 7, 2009, 3:49 pm

I continue to get updates from the group in Johannesburg, South Africa and am excited to share them with you.

For those who didn’t get the newsletter, the background on this is that a few weeks ago, a group of 10 women (ranging in age from 15 to 21) from Soweto, a township near Johannesburg, met for their first Chill & Spill group. Stacey, their leader, is a graphic-designer-turned-expressive-arts educator. The group is structured so that the older women help mentor the younger ones as they work through the themes of the book. Stacey chose to use Chill & Spill because it supports her group’s theme of gender equity, girls’ empowerment, and encourages leadership skills through creativity. She knows how these young women’s lives can be transformed through strong decision-making skills, peer support and self-confidence. This is especially important because they hail from an area which suffers from overwhelming poverty, high unemployment, child-headed households resulting from the HIV/Aids pandemic, crime, and teen pregnancy.

The first time the group met, Stacey, the leader, told me that at the end, “My heart ached when a few said that they won’t write in their journals till next workshop. When I asked why, they said they didn’t have any pens – so I gave them mine.” Since then, she was able to get some supplies donated. She writes:

This Saturday’s workshop began with a feedback session. Most of the girls said that they had written in their Chill & Spill journals regularly since the first workshop – one told me that she had been through the entire journal already!  She said that she couldn’t believe how she had enjoyed writing because she actually dislikes writing at school.

There was much excitement when I handed out markers and glue sticks that had been generously donated for them to take home!

Each participant answered the Exclusive Interview questions in Chill & Spill individually.  Then the exercise was translated into a group interview to encourage dialogue. Some concerns that were brought up included poverty, health, the challenges surrounding daily life such as public transportation, and they all shared a desire to learn and improve themselves. The young women did not have to share anything with the group that they didn’t feel comfortable with.

Then, we explored magazine collage, cutting out words that have meaning. The participants created thought and speech bubbles symbolic of their Exclusive Interview, creatively expressing their inner voices.

I wish I could share the photos, but I am awaiting permission. Believe me, they are wonderful to see!

July 6, 2009, 2:23 pm

Dear Art with Heart,

I received the books you sent.  They are absolutely wonderful.  I have already given the sibling book (Magnificent Marvelous Me) to a patient’s sibling who is coping with her older brother’s brain injury and hospitalization following a suicide attempt.  She is 8 years old, and this book is a great way for her to express her feelings in a safe place, and I look forward to working together on some of the activities with her.

I love how open-ended the book’s activities are.  There are so many books out there that are very specific, which is nice, but I like that this book can really be used for any stressful life situation, not just a particular diagnosis.  I wish I would have come up with this myself!

Once I get a chance to try the other two books, I think I will definitely be making another order.  Thanks again for your help.

Colleen Hannon, MS, CCLS
Child Life Specialist
Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago

July 2, 2009, 8:58 am

As a student, Kelsey Field took Chill & Spill to Chile several years ago when she worked at a refuge for pregnant teens. In Guatemala, when a girl gets pregnant out of wedlock, they are put out in the streets. This refuge was created to take them in, care for them and teach them skills so they can make it on their own.

Now Kelsey is in Guatemala, working with approximately 500 students. She assigns “Chill & Spill” activities as as homework. As a result, some of her students have begun trusting and opening up to her.

Says Kelsey, “They are sharing their stories with me, and more importantly their dreams for the future. A lot of times here the students just don’t have hopes for the future, because the poverty where we are is overwhelming. I feel like, for the first time, because of the Chill & Spill book, they are thinking outside of just getting married, having kids and farming…”

In this blog post are some of the student’s artwork that Kelsey shared with us (NOTE: all of my translations are very rough…if anyone can translate better, please let me know!).

The student’s artwork, right middle, was inspired by the “Bridges” activity. On the left side of the page, she writes, “It is difficult to start living spontaneously because there are problems to overcoming problems.” In the stream below the bridge, the student lists difficulties such as “the lack of financial resources, school work, hard sacrifices, and huge bad friendships and other bad people – negative things that I continue to explore.” On the right side of the page, near the victorious figure, she writes, “When I arrive at the finish line, I am strong, the most majestic and friendly. Here is where the happiness is the fruit of our efforts.”

Another piece she shared with us is also from the “Bridges” activity. On the bridge itself, the student writes, “We must strive to achieve what we want.” Under the bridge, in the turbulent water, she writes about things she is trying to overcome, such as Discrimination, Poverty, Work, Bad Habits, Problems. On the left side of the bridge (where she wants to get t0), the student repeats the thought that she must work hard to get to where she wants to be, but adds, “Nevertheless, there are things that happen, difficulties we must face,” and “to reach a goal is to achieve a great dream.” The last illustration depicts the students life goals, which include “tener buenos amigos” (To have good friends), “tener fé” (to have faith),  “No mas pobresa” (to not to be poor anymore), “no mas delincuencia” (to not be in trouble anymore)…