Dr. Heidi Heft LaPorte, Associate Professor in the Ellen Whiteside McDonnell School of Social Work at Barry University, will lead a workshop designed to create a space for a unique and culturally responsive dialogue with Barry University’s community partners. The intention is to spend some time engaging in an expressive arts activity using the Mandorla (two overlapping mandalas) as a metaphor for reflection around how it is that we arrive at our place of connection.
Art materials will be provided to engage in a creative process designed to stimulate a process that informs the work we do. There is no need to be an “artist” for this activity. Everyone has the potential to be creative.
To begin our conversation, the group will use watercolors and the symbol of the Mandorla to engage in quiet self-reflection. The group will then share, as they feel comfortable, how self-care fits into and informs their work. The goal is to create space for a unique conversation and opportunity to participate in a different kind of dialogue around the importance of creating space for ourselves as we continue the vital work in our communities. To harness our potential while we are living in the present, we gaze into the liminal space between what was and what is next. This transitional moment of the unknown that creates an opportunity to be present and attentive to what we are feeling and thinking. Being present to ourselves is necessary if we are to be available to others in our work (Markus Scott Alexander, EAFI workshop, April 2019). As we observe the intersection between our personal and professional worlds, clarity awaits.