Creative-Minded Counseling: Creativity Is
When I tell people I am a creative-minded counselor, many often think that equates to an art therapist. Art therapy is a type of therapy that requires specific training, allowing these therapists to use art as the foundation for all aspects of counseling.
Art is not the foundation of what I do as a counselor; creativity is.
For both client and counselor, counseling is a creative journey [5]. Art isn’t explicitly useful. The usefulness of art comes from how you use it. I use expressive art creatively. Sometimes, I combine art and creativity into my practice. This often results in clients having a more tangible outcome, such as a drawing, photo, song lyrics, or piece of writing. Creativity, however, does not stop at expressive arts; it is so much more.
It is important to note the difference between “little-c creativity,” everyday adapting, and “big-C creativity,” large-scale influence [7]. Little-c creativity is like figuring out what combination of spices will make dinner taste good. Big-C creativity is less common, such as generating a theory with wide and lasting impacts, like Freud, Jung, or Vygotsky.
A key element of creativity is divergent thinking, which can be understood as broad, flexible, explorative, elaborative thinking [1;5]. Creativity and divergent thinking are associated with coping and mental wellness, functioning, and resiliency [5]. Divergent thinking is only a part of creativity [6].
When asked to define creativity, I find it difficult to provide a concise response; creativity is too important to me. Creativity is survival. It is how I survived. Creativity is preventative and remedial [3]. Creativity is how we adapt. Creativity is vital for dealing with the complexity of life [2]. Creativity is a goal of teaching [4]. Creativity is spontaneous [8]. Creativity synthesizes facts, then transcends the known.
Until I rethink this definition again, here’s my most current definition of creativity:
Creativity is the ability to think differently, question the known, focus on function, expansion, and development, and do so with uninhibited potential toward new possibilities.
All creative endeavors have a ‘final’ step, and each time you reach this step, it is life-changing [9]. The creative process is life-changing. Whether you discovered a new spice combination for dinner or figured out how to survive trauma, your life will never be the same. You will never see the world as you had before. As a creative-minded counselor, I embrace and acknowledge the beauty and tragedy of seeing the world differently.
References
1. Benedek, M., Bruckdorfer, R., & Jauk, E. (2020). Motives for creativity: Exploring the what and why of everyday creativity. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 54(3), 610-625.
2. Corazza, G. E. (2017). Organic creativity for well-being in the post-information society. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 13, 599–605.
3. Duffey, T. (2015, June 18). Creativity in counseling: Fostering effective and resilient counseling practice collaboratively. In Presentation made at the American Counseling Association/Asia Pacific Counseling Conference.
4. Gajda, A., Karwowski, M., & Beghetto, R. A. (2017). Creativity and academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109, 269–299
5. Gladding, S. T. (2016). The creative arts in counseling Fifth Edition. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
6. Gralewski, J., & Karwowski, M. (2019). Are teachers’ ratings of students’ creativity related to students’ divergent thinking? A meta-analysis. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 33, 100583.
7. Kersting, K. (2003). What exactly is creativity?: Psychologists continue their quest to better understand creativity. Monitor on Psychology, 34(10), 40.
8. Kipper, D. A., Green, D. J., & Prorak, A. (2010). The relationship among spontaneity, impulsivity, and creativity. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 5(1), 39-53.
9. Witmer, J. M. (1985). Pathways to personal growth. Muncie, IN: Accelerated Development.