Brooke Parnell

Therapy/Teaching Philosophy

As a future art therapist, I do not completely cancel the idea of becoming an art teacher
if that is where I am led in the future. My teaching philosophy will also be a mixture of a
therapy philosophy. I learn best by experiencing in a situation and while it usually is very
uncomfortable, I learn the most when I am struggling and figure out how to solve it myself or
with a small push from someone much more experienced. My students will be asked how they
think they learn best. They will get chances to do something multiple different ways and
experience different ways of learning. Students will also have many opportunities to learn from
their struggles. They will be gently pushed to figure it out themselves. In therapy, my patients
will be asked hard question when it is appropriate and have to think a little harder than normal
to make some progress.
My patients and students will have my full attention and support when in the same
room as me. My goal as a therapist or potential teacher, is to care for my patients and students.
There are way too many children, teens, young adults, and elderly who wake up each day and
do not receive any type of care or felt heard and valued. I see my relationships with my patients
and students to be open and safe. They will hopefully feel comfortable to say how they are
truly feeling emotionally or physically. Whether that be through talking in a session, making art,
or writing a letter. I am open to whatever it takes to have that tight relationship with whoever I
am working with. As a therapist/teacher, I prefer to be a comfort rather than a fear. Growing
up, I always had more of a fear of my teachers than a comfort. Some of that came from my own
fear of failing and then being a disappointment and some of that came from the way one
specific teacher responded to my excitement over a finished project in first grade. I took the
response of my authority so deeply and it really hurt me at times. I will be as patient and
graceful with my students and patients when they need it.
My goal for my students and patients is to feel confident in what they are saying,
learning, and doing. I have such a strong desire for this because I was never a confident student
and I still struggle with it at times. It has held me back from so many opportunities in life, that I
do not want my patients and students to have that set back. I want them to feel confident in
the art they are creating and confident in their progress on an art piece, creation strategy,
methods, or their progress in an emotional block during therapy. I know that takes time and
does not come overnight, which is why I feel so strongly about creating that safe and
comfortable relationship with my patients and potential students. My patients and students will
develop an understanding of themselves. They will understand their strengths and weaknesses
and how they can grow from knowing that about themselves. I will provide feedback to help
push them and address where they can do better. I will voice their strengths that I see and
focus on them. A student needs to know where they are strong and feel strong about it too. I
will encourage my patients in areas they feel weak and hopeless in. We will break down fears
and setbacks with art, talking, and even putting ourselves in the same situations if they feel
confident to do so.
I went to a therapy session in High school and I honestly was really upset my parents
pushed me to do so. I was really good at building all my emotions inside and never
communicating what I felt or needed. I agreed to go, but I was angry inside that I was being
asked to open up to someone I hardly knew. In that one session, I felt so heard and understood
by two strangers. They exposed one of my biggest fears in just a few hours by gracefully asking
me questions but not being afraid to ask me tough questions either. I still use the information
they gave me about myself to this day. I want to be that person to someone someday. I want to
build close relationships with humans who need it and I want to help patients and students
grow into who they were created to be.