CT EXPRESSIVE ARTS

Professional Development

Professional Development In Expressive Arts  

Person Centered PPT's

A Day In the Life of Chris  

Family Dilemmas

Expressive Arts Consulting

All of Susan Rosano's programs are eligible for Arts Presentation Grants from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. For information on these grants, please click here: Teaching Artist Grants 

CT Expressive Arts offers training programs to fit your needs. Classes are designed to teach your staff to use expressive arts therapies with the clients, students or patients they work with on a daily basis.

The Curriculum

1. Expressive Drawing - Images are far more powerful than words. This seminar will teach you to transfer your clients’ inner images on to paper and then guide them to more self-understanding. Drawing exercises along with visualization and meditation for healing self expression will be taught as well as facilitation of the use of color, shape and form. Students in this class will do many drawing exercises during this session. Experience in drawing or art is not required. 

2. Therapeutic Puppetry - Puppets are magical! They are friends and family of a different type. Therapeutic puppetry can be used with the youngest children to senior citizens with end-stage Alzheimers. The use of puppets to elicit self expression from clients is the topic of this seminar. The history of puppetry and all it’s uses will be discussed. Students in this class will have an experiential session using the puppets that will be present for this seminar. Experience in puppetry is not required. 

3. Therapeutic Dance Circle - This seminar will teach the basics of running a therapeutic dance circle for clients of all ages, from pre-school play to a non- walking population. Aside from the physical benefits, the weekly dance & movement group provides emotional support, feelings of community and self investigation of a different sort. This session will start out with a dance circle and students will practice facilitating at least once during this session. Experience in dance is not required.

4. Poetry and Journaling for Self Expression - Writing is an emotional adventure. The creation of poems that include emotional expression, personal histories and memoirs will be taught. Forms that help with the writing of poems to express feelings will be made with the class. Facilitating poetry writing with clients and techniques for eliciting feelings through writing will be explored. Experience in writing is not required. 

5. Drum Circle and Musical Expression - Using music to facilitate self-expression is an age old technique in mental health. Drumming brings out the emotional spirit and creates a healing atmosphere for all who participate. This class will teach drum circle facilitation and leadership. Other forms of musical expression that any non-musician can handle with their clients will also be taught. There will be lots of drumming, singing and playing other instruments during this session. Musical experience is not required. 

6. Storytelling - This class will investigate and explore the use of story to create occasions for healing and to promote health for individuals, groups and communities. Essential information will be presented for anyone interested in oral communication, improving and applying storytelling skills and learning the importance and uses of storytelling. You will also learn to develop practical skills in story evoking, gathering, telling and listening skills. 

7.  Spiritual Care - We will teach the use of spirituality with clients as a therapeutic resource in this class.  We will not teach about religion, but talk about what people believe their  spiritual life is all about. 

Susan is a teaching artist with Young Audiences of Connecticut as an Expressive Arts Specialist, bringing expressive arts to schools throughout Connecticut. To find out more about Young Audiences of CT, go to their website at: www.yaconn.org and find Susan on their roster.

Empowering Our Families and SPED Teams

Creating Person Centered PPT’s

With 

Susan Rosano, MA and Andrew Miser, PhD

An extraordinary workshop for Special Education Professionals that teaches how to create an atmosphere of acceptance and cooperative team spirit at Planning and Placement Team Meetings.

Promoting:  

Cooperative Team Spirit

The Child as a Whole Person

All Members of the PPT Are Equal

A Non-Judgmental Team

Powerful Choices for the Child

Friendly and Relaxed Atmospheres

This workshop will examine how special education professionals and families can bring more understanding, cooperation and enrichment to the process of the planning and placement team.  New and empowering strategies presented in this workshop will help alleviate some of the difficulties encountered at complex, emotionally charged, stressful PPT meetings.  Special education professionals will learn how to work as an effective team with the parents of children with developmental and medical disabilities.  In this workshop, special education professionals will explore common feelings and dilemmas that teachers, families and special education professionals are faced with at Planning and Placement Team meetings and how these common feelings and dilemmas impact the planning and placement team process.

To book this workshop, please call:

Susan Rosano, MA at 860-301-9033 or Email: ctexpressivearts@aol.com

Andy Miser at 617-505-5139 or Email: almiser@elysianenterprises.net

This educational workshop is designed to teach adults and children about what it's like to be a special needs child.  So many special needs children are integrated into school classrooms today, without much explanation to their classmates or teachers as to why they are the way they are, and what their lives are like at home.  Ms. Rosano will work to create understanding of the everyday lives of special needs children.  Discussions will include the joys, sorrows, accomplishments and contribution to society of children with special needs.

The program begins with a presentation of a photo documentary book called "A Day In the Life of Chris" an 8-year-old boy with special needs, photographed and written by Susan Rosano, Chris's Mom.  Chris lives with cerebral palsy, autism and cortical vision impairment.  The photo documentary starts with Chris at home having breakfast with his nurse, follows him to getting on the special school bus in his wheel chair, his day at school, after school play, dinner and bed time.  The book includes an explanation of Chris' physical problems and learning disabilities. 

After the book presentation, a question and answer period will follow.  We will discuss Chris' contribution to his community, society and the lessons we can learn from him. After the discussion, the workshop participants will do expressive exercises that will help them to understand what it is like to be blind, non-verbal and unable to walk.