On the Edge

I will consider how the current political climate leads us to be able to interact with
organisations, not on the margins but with the capacity for super-vision. They
have needs that are not being met through the mainstream systems due to
decentralisation. From being able to meet the needs of marginalised groups we
are absorbed into the mainstream and are central to a person’s network.
The work exists where people are falling through gaps, not meeting thresholds.
Wherever there is a threshold of whatever kind, that is where the arts therapies
work best. When involved in the mainstream we are marginalised, when we work
outside we become centralised, potentially. How we hold internally the sense of
mainstream, success and marginalisation is vitally important.
We will touch on the role of social media. How FaceBook/Twitter allow an
interaction with the public that ‘meets’ a need in an ‘audience’. This reaches a
diverse public who react to posts in ways not entirely predictable.
Lisa Lea-Weston – Freelance work – primary schools with children who have
experienced trauma. Associate Therapist, The Consultancy Adoption 360. I see
children who are transitioning and children/adults in private practice. Previously
Deputy Manager NHS Creative Therapies Service, Devon.
and
EXPLORING THE MARGINS – A PRESENTATION ON INTIMACY,
INTEGRATION, AND THE CHOICE OF VISIBILITY.
I completed my training by pioneering a Dramatherapy project providing support
to HIV+ gay men. Due to lack of published research in this clinical context, I
relied heavily on my instincts and empathetic resonances.
I was asked to support HIV+ gay men in their experiences of stigma, with an
underlying emphasis of moving them from the margins to the mainstream, of
integrating them into society. But what about their personal, inner integration?
What was going on at, and in, the margins, in the first place? They were riddled
with concerns and expressions of longing, shame, doubt, and hope around
intimacy, connection, and self-esteem. Perhaps common sense, perhaps not, but
intimacy, integration, and visibility were not just about how others saw and
sensed them, but how they saw and sensed themselves. And this posed a
poignant question: could they allow themselves to be seen? Many clients
decided yes, many decided no.
This presentation will include demonstrations of the experiential work used in this
project, share its findings, and touch upon the process of creating a
Dramatherapy approach focused on intimacy, integration, and the choice of
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