Flower Activity to Build Self-Awareness

intervention themes engagement, feelings expression, self esteem estimated time needed for activity 45 minutes recommended age range elementary age and up materials needed three methods method 1 \ a sheet of plain white paper \ crayons or markers \ pencil method 2 \ construction paper \ scissors \ glue \ marker method 3 whiteboard preparation minimal set up required for virtual visits, connect with the guardian about the supplies needed to maximize the activity a digital option is also viable allowing the child to draw and color the images on a computer therapeutic goals youth will identify positive aspects of self which they appreciate youth will learn to embrace the highlights of their lives to minimize the tendency to overlook the positive experiences they have had youth will understand that the role or place of unfavorable or negative experiences can be used as a foundation for healing and growth rather than destruction youth will understand the connection they have with others in terms of overcoming hardship or setbacks description this activity is designed to engage the youth in a creative, audible, and emotional exploration of self exploration the clinician is serving as a guide for instructional purposes only and prompts if the youth experiences creative blocks during the activity (for instance, unable to add items to the design) introduction engage the student in a verbal exploration of self esteem ask questions such as, "what do you like most about yourself?" "what do you think makes you, you?" "what would you change about yourself if you could?" explain as people, we grow every single day but it happens so slowly that we have a hard time seeing it happen, just like a flower one day you are walking down the street and every thing is bare the next time you look, there may be a row of spring flowers that popped up out of nowhere we see the flowers and may even pick the flowers, but rarely do we look at how the flower got there engagement i would like for us to work on creating a flower that represents you can you tell me the parts of the flower that you like the most? (respond by building on what they share encouraging further exploration) allow them to start on the part of the flower they choose (petals, stem, dirt, etc) the order of creativity absolutely does not matter what matters the most is the dialogue and prompts as they create dialogue prompts petals represent the parts of yourself that you like the most or that you think others like/value about you stem represents your support system who do you depend on for support and encouragement (could be friends, family, even a fictional character) grass line list people that irritate you or make you experience other negative emotions (youth can write directly on the paper or they can write the items on a piece of paper cut like bugs, caterpillars, grasshoppers, rocks, etc) the dirt under the grass share experiences that caused negative emotions write the experiences (or short statements) on a darker colored paper (dirt color) and paste under the grass line in the dirt area miscellaneous if they add items like clouds, sun, trees use those to continue highlighting the things we need to grow and associate it with other positive experiences they have had (if you know them or ask them to share) at each stage, engage the youth in verbal exploration or track their actions with the finished product explain how beautiful everything is above the grass line which is what we all see when we look at the youth however, below the grass line are the things that we try to hide (and that's okay) even though they are still very much a part of us with the experiences that cause us the most discomfort, we have to find a way to heal from them (water, fertilize, prune, etc) or they will disrupt the growth pattern of the flower discussion it is beneficial for youth to explore the positive and negative aspects of their lives to understand the journey of healing and acceptance healing from those wounds and experiences which could severely impact their lives accepting the beauty of who they are to align the trajectory of their goals to create happiness and growth as well, youth are rarely allowed to explore the negative thoughts and feelings they have about experiences because people around them are uncomfortable with the struggles as therapist, we are providing a space for them to work through the experiences and still see the beauty of who they are processing questions now that we have created a picture showing some of your positive self thoughts and showing some of difficult experiences you have had, how will impact how you view yourself? what do you think happens to a person if they only focus on the areas of their life below the grass line? who or what do we need to add to your stem so that you have the support you need to make good choices? or to feel better about yourself? about the creator, dr stacia alexander, lpc s dr alexander is a lifetime native of texas and has served her community through private practice and academic work since being licensed in 1998 as a professional counselor she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology, a master’s degree in counseling psychology and a doctorate in clinical psychology being in private practice not only helped her to work alongside amazing community leaders to de stigmatize mental health in underserved communities, it also provided avenues to employ and train a diverse set of clinicians that launched over a hundred professional careers in the mental health field in addition to clinical practice and academic development, she speaks professionally, particularly about “the emotionality of success” and “my college mental health ” she enjoys helping people from all walks of life understand and embrace the importance of incorporating mental health into their self care regimen just as they do their physicians, dentists, and optometrists in her spare time, she enjoys indoor and outdoor gardening, small diy projects, graphic design and writing she's been married for 29 years and they have adventurous adult children who remind her that life is not all that serious as she makes it out to be contact staciaalexanderlpc\@gmail com