TIME:
Monday 7:00 am - 9:30 pm February 3 - March 24, 8 weeks

LOCATION:
Living Arts Counseling Center 1265 65th Street, Emeryville, CA 94608

FEES:
$320 ($40/session) Need-based sliding scale available. Pre-registration is required. Limited spaces available.

The Living Arts Counseling Center presents

Breaking up: an experiential support group

分手支持團體：創造性藝術治療

Are you heart-broken? 

Are you looking for closure?  

Do you find yourself lingering in the past?

Through the therapeutic use of drama and other creative arts techniques, you will find space to process your emotions, reexamine your relationship dynamics, and get support.

Learn how to: 

→Let Go and Learn from Past Relationships

→Create New and More Satisfying Ways of Relating with Yourself and Others  

Group Facilitators Trained in Counseling & Drama Therapy:

Michelle Chang is a Marriage and Family Therapist intern (intern number pending) and received her MA in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Drama Therapy in California Institute of Integral Studies. She works with individuals, children, couples, and families. She respects each client’s uniqueness and differences, supporting clients in self-love, self-esteem and in processing grief.

Amelia Kriss is a MFT trainee and currently pursuing her Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Drama Therapy at the California Institute of Integral Studies.  She is passionate about supporting her clients in self-acceptance, deep and satisfying relationships, and breaking damaging patterns to make way for new and fulfilling choices. 

Michelle Chang and Amelia Kriss are supervised by Armand Volkas, RDT, MFT (MFC#28789) 

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Do you see me? Workshop for women experiencing loneliness and isolation in US culture

TIME:
Workshop: November 10th, Sunday, 9-5 pm 

LOCATION:
Workshop: Living Arts Counseling Center 1265 65th Street, Emeryville, CA 94608

FEES:
$50 for one day workshop.  Pre-registration is required. Limited spaces available.

The Living Arts Counseling Center presents

Do you see me? 

Workshop for women experiencing loneliness and isolation in US culture 

‧Are your cultural, family and collectivist values disrespected or ignored? 

‧Do you struggle with wanting acceptance and approval from American society? 

‧Do you feel unnoticed, unseen or invisible?

Come share your cultural upbringing and values with other people who may think like you. This workshop will create a safe and confidential environment for your feelings and needs, you and your culture will be seen and validated for who you really are. We will use theater exercises and creative arts to enhance your self-esteem, awaken your resiliency, and honor your cultural values and your true self. Come find support, strength, companionship, and connection with mind-liked women.

Date and Time: November 10th Sunday 9-5 pm
Fee: $50/one day workshop 
Location: Living Arts Counseling Center  1265 65th street, Emeryville, CA 94608

*Limited to 6 participants!  *Advanced registration required. 

*No theater experience necessary. 
*New immigrants, 2nd & 3rd generation, international students are encouraged to join!

Register: michelle.chang@livingartscenter.org   (510) 595-5500, ext. 24 or 17

Facilitators/therapists: 

Michelle and Alethia are Marriage and Family therapy trainees and provide counseling services for individuals, couples, families and groups. They are supervised by Armand Volkas, MFT, RDT/BCT, MFC#28789.

Michelle Chang She is originally from Taiwan, and speaks Mandarin and English.

Alethia Olmedo P She is originally from Mexico, and speaks Spanish and English.

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BIDENTITY – A FREE Drama Therapy Workshop

TIME:
1) October 23rd, Wednesday, 6:30-9:00 pm 
2) October 27th, Sunday, 2:00-5:00 pm

LOCATION:1)CIIS 1453 mission street, San Francisco, CA 94103 
2)LACC 1265 65th Street, Emeryville, CA 94608

FEES:
FREE!! Pre-registration is required. Limited spaces available.

The Living Arts Counseling Center presents

 BIDENTITY 

A FREE Drama Therapy Workshop

Are you struggling with the stress of biphobia? 

Is having to hide the “real you” causing feelings of anxiety, depression, or shame? 

Do you feel like you have to fight to feel “queer enough” in your own community? 

Join us for an afternoon of identity exploration, sharing and support. Whether you’re a loud and proud Bi/Pan activist, thinking about coming out, or questioning this workshop is for you. 

Led by a team of skilled (bi/pan identified) therapists, you will learn role-playing, improv and acting activities in a supportive, confidential environment.   

This workshop is open to ALL people who self-identify as bisexual or pansexual.   

*Advanced Registration Required.  *No previous theater experience necessary. 

This free workshop is facilitated by Marriage and Family Therapy trainees Michelle Chang, Alicia Stephen, and Kitzie Winship. Michelle, Alicia, and Kitzie are supervised by Armand Volkas, MFT, RDT/BCT, MFC# 28789. 

For your convenience, this workshop will be offered twice. 

Come to 1 or both!  

Wednesday, October 23rd 6:30-9pm @ California Institute of integral Studies 

1453 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 

OR 

Sunday, October 27th 2-5pm @ Living Arts Counseling Center 

1265 65th St., Emeryville, CA 94608 

Come by yourself or bring a friend!  

Register

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Workshops/Groups in 2013 Fall

近期會有非常多的工作坊，雖然還有一些尚未決定文案以及地點，
但我迫不及待的想要先分享給大家。

後續會有更多的細節和說明會陸續更新喔!!

Break up support group 分手後支持團體
Oct 2 - Dec 4, 1^st and 3^rd Wednesday of the month, 7:00-9:30 pm
Location: Living Arts Counseling Center (Emeryville)

Free introduction to Drama Therapy for Mandarin Speakers 免費戲劇治療體驗工作坊
Oct  26, Saturday, 10:30-1:30 pm

Location: Living Arts Counseling Center (Emeryville)

Free workshop for Bisexual and pan-sexual folks!
         免費雙性戀/泛性戀自我認同探索工作坊   (details will be updated soon!)
Oct 23, Wednesday, 6:30-9:00 pm @ California Institute of Integral Studies (San francisco)

Oct 27, Sunday, 2:00-5:00 pm @ Living Arts Counseling Center (Emeryville)

Free workshop for Women impacted/challenged by Individualism  (details will be updated soon!)

Oct 19, Saturday, 10:00-1:00 pm, Living Arts Counseling Center (Emeryville)

Nov 1, Friday, 2:00-5:00 pm, California Institute of Integral Studies (San Francisco)

Workshop for Daughters!  (mother-daughter relationship)  (details will be updated soon!)
Nov 10 & 17, Sunday, evening
Location: TBD (South bay)

*Daughters who are struggling with independence, differentiation from family, and mother issues. 

Support Group for Women impacted/challenged by Individualism  (details will be updated soon!)

Nov 10, Sunday, 10:00-3:00 pm 

Nov 17, Sunday, 10:00-3:00 pm

Location: Living Arts Counseling Center (Emeryville)

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【FREE】Introduction to Drama Therapy for Mandarin Speakers

TIME:
Saturdays 10:30 am - 1:30 pm October 26, Saturday

LOCATION:
Living Arts Counseling Center 1265 65th Street, Emeryville, CA 94608

FEES:
FREE! Pre-registration is required. Limited spaces available.

The Living Arts Counseling Center presents

【FREE】Introduction to Drama Therapy for Mandarin Speakers

戲劇治療入門體驗工作坊(中文使用者)

Do you want to learn more about Drama Therapy? 

Do you want to know yourself better?  

Do you want to have fun and connect with people? 

Drama Therapy is an experiential approach of psychotherapy. It integrates improvisation, creative arts, theater games and techniques, and psychodrama as tools to achieve therapeutic goals and growth towards well-being. This workshop is based on Renée Emunah’s Five Phases Model, it will start from interactive theater games and gradually move into role-play and psychodramatic scene.

In this workshop, you will...

—Connect with your creativity and imagination；

—Practice new roles and view from new perspectives； 

—Share your stories； 

—Learn about Drama Therapy； 

—Know yourself better；

—Experience me as a therapist and group facilitator;

—Have a lot of fun!

*Shy people are encouraged!

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人為什麼大聲說話？

人為什麼大聲說話？

自尊心作祟、沒有禮貌、不給別人說話的機會、性急、好勝...好多可能的解讀，

這些解讀大多是負面的，因為沒有人喜歡別人對自己大吼大叫。: (

我是一個很怕別人大聲說話的人，那容易讓我的理智斷線。

小時後，別人對我大聲，我就會失控地大聲回去。

長大後，漸漸理解到，這並不是一個有效的溝通方法。

於是當對方開始越來越大聲時，我會很有意識地覺察到，

然後盡量和緩地告訴對方：

我知道你可能有點情緒波動，但可以小聲一點嗎？
                     (表示同理)      (表達自己的需求)

太大聲我會很焦慮沒辦法專心聽，但我很想認真聽你要講什麼。
(不批評，但是讓對方了解自己的感受)   (表示善意跟願意同理)


♥表示同理的時候，不需要猜測對方感受。
例如：我知道你很生氣。因為對方可能會說：我沒有生氣！
比較好的方式可能是詢問：你看起來很生氣，是嗎？

♥表達自己需求的時候，不需要強調對方沒有滿足或者攻擊對方。
例如：你難道不能小聲一點嗎？你為什麼不能小聲一點？

♥表達自己感受的時候，不批評或加入因果關係，認為是對方的責任，盡量中性。
例如：你讓我很焦慮！你害我很焦慮！你這樣我根本沒辦法聽清楚啊！

♥表示善意時，請真心。
人是很聰明的，面部的表情即使變化快速，
大腦能夠捕捉到的訊息遠超過人類「意識到」已經捕捉的訊息。（譬如第六感）


我記得小時候曾經聽過一則故事：

老師問同學說，為什麼兩個人吵架的時候明明一起，靠很近，卻要大聲說話呢？

「因為不想讓對方講話!」
「因為想打斷對方!」
「因為想贏!」
「因為想解釋清楚!」

各式各樣的理由此起彼落，最後一個同學問；「老師，你覺得呢？」 

這時候老師說：「我覺得啊... 可能是兩個人雖然很近，但心遠了，
所以就會直覺地想喊大聲一點，讓對方的心聽見。」



之後，每一次有人大聲說話時，我就會想起這個故事，然後進一步地去思考：

你想讓對方聽見什麼？

想傳達的真正訊息是什麼？是那些大吼出來的責備和氣話嗎？

對方想讓你聽見什麼？

他說的話背後是不是其實有另外的含意？



兩個人的目的都是想要被理解，但是心都長刺了，刺傷對方也隔開距離˙。

練習把刺收起來，小聲說話，準確地說話，不把感情越吵越壞的第一步。



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couple/family VIP workshop

一直以來都不斷的在嘗試各種主題和方式去讓灣區華人接觸到心理健康議題，

偶爾偶爾，也會有覺得沮喪、力不從心的時候，但一覺醒來，
我的腦袋又會浮現出新的想法。

這次我把重點放在couple and family.

婚前諮詢，一直都是有效降低離婚率的方法之一；
婚姻諮詢，除了可以協助解決問題、促進溝通，即使要分開，諮商師也可以協助和平分手；
甚至是有已經分開的夫妻，因為一方突然回來，要履行共同監護，而尋求諮商師的協助，
來幫助孩子和家長適應這個新的改變。

但即使這些東西大眾都知道，依然鮮少人願意嘗試。

一方面是，婚前諮詢和婚姻諮商仍然跟信仰有強烈的連結，
教會外的人比較難得到相關的資訊。

另一方面，大眾普遍對於尋求諮商師協助仍然有「我不健康」「家醜」的聯想。

因此，我最近有一個新策畫「couple/family VIP workshop」,

是替伴侶或家庭打造一個量身訂做的workshop. (不會有別人, 也就不用擔心私密的事情流出去)

與一般Counseling針對特定「已經發生的衝突/問題」去處理的方式不同，
workshop的目標是讓你們在有興趣的議題中探索和學習, 就像是成長課程，
但是又可以預防未來可能產生的衝突。(保證好玩又會學到東西♥) 

例如有的家庭即將面臨「迎接家庭新成員」，workshop會著重於利用活動和創造性藝術，
讓每個人去探索自己對新成員的期待、看法、感受，然後透過分享、互動，進而達到
促進彼此關係、預防衝突、增進溝通、增加向心力、親密感的目標。 

除了迎接新成員, 主題也可以是identity, 親密關係、信任、boundary, 文化差異(移民一代二代),
溝通, 創造力, 未來目標, 適應新環境, 失去家庭成員, 失去寵物...etc.

我會跟couple/family討論方向, 然後訂出時間與次數。(例如：一次兩個半小時, 總共三次。 )
這像是一個由therapist和family/couple共同創作的project, 雖然therapeutic relationship仍然會有既定
的boundary, 但跟印象中的醫病關係迥然不同了。


Therapy 翻成中文叫做治療，用中文的邏輯是有病才需要治療。

但一直以來，我都認為我所學習的東西，
除了可以用於「治療」，更可以用於「預防」和「成長」。 

好玩，又會學到東西，更可以促進生活品質，讓自己更快樂，何樂不為呢？



 有興趣的人，歡迎聯絡我，跟我詢問細節或跟我討論，不用害羞，

勇氣只要一秒鐘，但獲得的可能是更多更多 :)


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