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You are carrying within yourself the potential to visualise, to design and to create an utterly satisfying, joyful and pure lifestyle - Rainer Maria Rilke

SOONVolume 42 - January 2011IR Home

Seriously Optimistic Online NewsletterSeriously Optimistic Online Newsletter

In this volume...

• From the archives

• Training at a glance

• International Womens’ Day

• Book Reviews

• Creative Writing resources

To contribute to SOON email us at:

soon@innovativeresources.org

St. Luke’s

St. Luke’s

Many of our recent online subscribers to SOON may be interested to learn that before making the switch to a web-based newsletter early last year, Innovative Resources produced a hardcopy newsletter titled The Serious Optimist. Since the inception of The Serious Optimist in 2003, we’ve heard some wonderful stories about the use of IR resources by people in a diverse range of occupations and situations from many countries around the world.

Indeed, one of the main reasons The Serious Optimist was initially created was to provide an avenue through which people could share stories of how they had used Innovative Resources’ card sets and books. Such stories and comments were invaluable in providing other people – counsellors, human service workers, teachers and parents, to name just a few – with fresh ideas about possible ways to use IR materials.

In 2011, we’re still interested in hearing your stories about working with Innovative Resources’ card sets

and books. Do you have a story you’d like to share with other SOON readers about a creative new way or a favourite old way

in which you’ve used IR materials? If so, we’d love to read about it. Please send your submissions to info@innovativeresources.org and we’ll endeavour to publish a selection of stories in future editions of SOON.

Meantime, we would like to share with you several excerpts from early editions of The Serious Optimist.

The first piece initially appeared in The Serious Optimist in Spring 2005 and came to Innovative Resources from a New South Wales social worker, who shared stories and photos from her time in Uganda.

From the archives of the

SERIOUS OPTIMIST

Give assistance and kindness wherever needed - American Indian commandments

From the archivesTHE SERIOUS OPTIMITIST Spring 2005In June (2005) social worker Sue McCarthy flew to Africa to share some ideas with Ugandan colleagues about working with children who are disabled and dying. (This is her specialist area back on the New South Wales Central Coast of Australia).

A group of Ugandan social workers had been trying for some time to raise funds for Sue to go there, or for one of them to come to Australia. Many of the children they work with are AIDS victims and orphans. Sue was so moved by the huge challenges they are facing in their work and in their lives that she decided to fund a trip there herself.

Shortly before setting off, Sue contacted St Luke’s Innovative Resources wondering if we might be able to assist with making resources available for the workers in Uganda. She told us that she planned to leave some of her own collection of resources behind.

Innovative Resources was able to assist with a donation of a few card sets, and this was augmented by donations from several other St Luke’s staff members. . .

. . . Sue ran workshops in three towns in Uganda — Kampala, Kayunga and Nakasongola.

She said in her email to us:

“I am so grateful for the cards and stickers. I had prepared material and put it on my laptop computer but in Uganda, even if there is power, it is off a lot of the time. So I quickly abandoned using the laptop and used the cards. The groups were much larger than I anticipated. Originally, I was only going to provide information about the therapeutic work that I do using the cards.

At one of the workshops many disabled people arrived, keen to find out how their community can be helped. Fortunately, I have worked from a community development model. (Innovative Resources’) Optimism Booster cards were very useful for them as they began to look at a plan of action that they were all together on. This involved creating a priority that they would all work on rather than vying for each little faction.’’

Optimism Boosters cards(cat. no: 3750) Priced at $29.70.

In the Summer of 2004/2005 The Serious Optimist received this letter from a social worker from Alexander Headland, Queensland.Dear Innovative Resources,I’ve been using your resources for eight years now and have found many ways of utilising them in my work with children and families.Recently, my husband went on a Kokoda Trail trek in New Guinea. Apart from substantial physical preparation, he and other trekkers were advised to take some small gifts for distribution to children along the trail. After some discussion about the merits of various small, child-friendly items I suggested taking sheets of stickers. My husband had not explored my (impressive) sticker collection before and immediately recognised the attractiveness and practicality of this suggestion.I also asked him to squeeze my one and only pack of Strengths Cards for Kids into his day pack. He gave the cards to the teacher at Efogischool. Efogi is a village on the Kokoda trail. The single-teacher school has very few resources. My husband said the teacher and children loved the cards and stickers.I’ve ordered a new set today, and I’ve gained immense pleasure from thinking about those lovely cards travelling to such a remote part of the universe!

Strengths Cards for Kids (cat no: 0400) Priced at $49.50.

From the archives

Do what you know to be right - American Indian commandments

The Travelling Toolshed

When: May 2-3Where: Buda Historic House and Garden, Castlemaine, Victoria.How much: $396The Travelling Toolshed showcases the wide range of Innoative Resources’ hands-on, conversation-building tools that are now used throughout Australia, New Zealand and in many other countries to help people talk about important issues in their lives. For full details and a registration form, click to download the pdf.

Girltopia

Working with girls to create healthy transitions through puberty and adolescenceWhen: May 30-31, 2011Where: Spa Eleven, Forest Street, BendigoHow much: $396This highly-interactive two-day workshop is for anyone who works or lives with girls or young women including youth workers, teachers, counsellors, welfare workers, mothers and dads who wish to stay close to their daughters as they grow to maturity. It is also for anyone wishing to explore important foundations in a woman’s journey to maturity and empowerment, no matter what her age.For full details and a registration form, click to download the pdf.

The Uses of Sadness

When: June 6, 2011Where: Spa Eleven, Forest Street, Bendigo.How much: $225This workshop is for counsellors, therapists, social workers, psychologists, parents, welfare workers, youth workers, teachers, mental health workers and for anyone wanting to enhance their skills in navigating difficult times. Participants will take away a range of creative ideas and activities that are immediately applicable with their clients, students, families and in their personal lives.For full details and a registration form, click to download the pdf.

Training at a glanceInnovative Resources is facilitating some original, motivating and interactive workshops in the coming months.Following is a brief outline of just a few of these events.All information about St Luke’s Innovative Resources’ training can be found by clicking on the ‘Training’ icon at the left of the Innovative Resources home page at: www.innovativeresources.org

Please note all training sessions start at 9.30am and finish at 4pm.• Morning tea, afternoon tea

and lunch is provided in all workshops (Please advise of any dietary requirements).

• All workshop fees are GST inclusive.

Close your eyes and you will see clearly, cease to listen and you will hear truth, be silent and your heart will sing - Essence by Suzanne Maher

Girltopia – A World of Real Conversations for Real Girls was launched amidst the grand surroundings of Eaglehawk’s historic Star Cinema on International Women’s Day earlier this month. About 40 guests attended the event, including Girltopia author Jane Bennett, illustrator Robyn Spicer and guest speaker Linda Beilharz, chief executive of Women’s Health Loddon Mallee.

Those attending the event listened to speeches by Jane, Robyn and Linda before watching the Australian premiere of the film The Moon Inside You, an award-winning documentary by Slovakian director Diana Fabianova about cultural attitudes to menstruation. The event was a fitting and creative way to celebrate the launch of a unique new resource, produced to help build conversations with adolescent girls.

For more information about Girltopia click through to our website, email info@innovativeresources.org or phone (03) 5442 0500.

International Women’s Day

Felipa and the Day of the DeadBy Birte Muller

Grandmother, Abuelita, has died. Felipa mises

her terribly.

NOW $15.00

The Lover’s Companion: Art

and Poetry of Desire

By Charles Sullivan

NOW $35

Community Visions,

Community Solutions

By Joseph A Connor and Stephanie Kadel-Taras

NOW $45.00

Yellow MuppetBy Sunshine

Looking like cousin of Elmo. Only one yellow

muppet in stock so order soon!

NOW $35.00

DON'T FORGET OUR SPECIALS BUTTONYes, at the top right of our web page we have a little button marked 'Specials' with some value

packs, backlist stock and end-of-run items like:

Training at a glance

Jane Bennett (left) and Robyn Spicer. Photo courtesy Bendigo Weekly.

The Way to happiness: Live simply, Give much, Fill your life with love - Buddha

‘The Flood That Came to Grandma’s House’Reviewed by Russell Deal

After a summer of truly bizarre weather and natural events this picture book was a delightful find. Originally written in 1991 it tells the story of two grandparents who faced a pending flood, had to evacuate their house, faced a massive clean-up and then simply got on with their lives. This scenario, of course, is the lived reality of innumerable families throughout Australia following our widespread and devastating floods of this year.

What makes this book work is the straightforward narrative coupled with engaging, slightly whimsical illustrations. The storyline, written by Linda Stallone, is neither overly sentimental or bleak; it does not overplay the tragedy and heartbreak but neither is it ‘Pollyanna-ish’. In its own way it normalises the Grandparents’ response to the challenges the flood presents and leaves it open to readers to compare their own experience to those in the book. The humour in the illustrations, by Joan Schooley, provides a gentle antidote to the stress, sadness and loss that a flood or other natural disaster can bring.

This is a book that both adults and children can enjoy. It is a book that teachers can certainly read to children from pre-school age upwards.

Our thanks go to Heather Darbyshire, one of the Preschool Advisors at St Luke’s, who managed to track down the author in the United States. Linda Stallone generously sent free copies of her book to Australia for Heather to donate to kindergartens along the Murray

River who have many children from flood-affected communities.

The Flood That Came to Grandma’s House, by Linda Stallone and Joan Schooley, is available exclusively from Innovative Resources for $24.99 (catalogue number: 6659), while stocks last. We suggest you phone Innovative Resources on (03) 5442 0500 to place your order.

‘Fluttering on Fences Stories of Loss and Change’Loss, change and grief, challenging and complex as they may be, are ever-present elements of the human experience. However, when considered in a philosophical sense, these three experiences provide us with many opportunities to grow as human beings.

Author Irene Renzenbrink is an Australian pioneer in the field of palliative care, grief and bereavement counselling and education. She is also a social worker and art therapist. Fluttering on Fences is, as well as the title of her new book, an

ongoing life project - a creative journey - which helps to sustain her personally during times of turbulent change.

In this book, Renzenbrink has collected together many of her own photographs of objects literally fluttering on fences to provide readers with a thought-provoking photographic essay about the many forms of change in life which can produce feelings of loss or grief. Fluttering on Fences also includes a diverse array of personal stories and ideas about people’s experiences with loss and change, all of which makes for compelling, yet gentle reading.

Renzenbrink’s impressive CV includes being a Board Member of the International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement, as well as a listing in the Who’s Who of Australian Women. Indeed, Renzenbrink’s sensitivity towards and knowledge of this sometimes weighty subject, ensures Fluttering on Fences is an uplifting work well worth reading.

Fluttering on Fences is available for $25 online from Innovative Resources or by phoning 5442 0500. Please quote catalogue number 8306.

BOOK REVIEWS....International Women’s Day

Creative writing is being rediscovered as a powerful tool for engaging with clients in counselling and group work, with colleagues in supervision and strategic planning, with communities in teaching and presentations, and with ourselves through our own critical reflection and self-care. The ability to write creatively can also help to re-energise our more mundane, everyday writings at work. Inspired writing can be used for personal growth, healing and social change. This is the theme of The Literary Therapist workshop to be facilitated by Innovative Resources on March 28, 29 and 30 at Castlemaine’s Buda Historic House and Garden (Central Victoria). This three-day workshop is designed for human service workers who are passionate about writing, and for those people who would like explore this form of creative experience.The Literary Therapist aims to include a diverse range of practical, readily-useable ideas, skills and prompts to invigorate the creative writing of workshop participants. Indeed, we have so many books which relate to therapeutic and creative writing stacked on the shelves at Innovative Resources’ bookshop in Bendigo that we’ve decided to increase our SOON Top 10 list to a Top 15 list this month, in order to accommodate the wealth of reading available about this topic.Happy reading, and prepare to be inspired . . .

1. Wreck this Journal – Keri Smith breaks all those rules that were ever taught to you about caring for books. This book is a quirky alternative to every beautifully constructed and carefully maintained journal you have ever owned. One page suggests you tear it out, put it in your pocket and run it through the wash . . . and then stick the page back in the journal! As the name suggests, Smith invites you to unhesitatingly take ownership of this journal and, in doing so, encourages uninhibited creativity. Author: Keri Smith. Perigree Books, 2007. Softcover, 192 pages. RRP: $16.95. Catalogue number: 9322.

2. The Artist’s Way – Julia Cameron’s best-selling book is for anyone who has ever wished to express their creativity, be it through drawing, painting, writing or composing music. Cameron provides a 12-week course which guides and encourages readers as they recover their creative self. Cameron dispels the “I’m

not talented enough” conditioning that holds so many people back, and helps demystify the creative process by making it part of daily life. The Artist’s Way also aims to tackle reader’s self-doubts, self-criticism and worries about time, money and the support to pursue their creative dream. Author: Julia Cameron. MacMillan Press, 1994. Softcover, 222 pages. RRP: $35. Catalogue number: 9596.

3. Living Out Loud — Keri Smith again . . . In this book, Smith offers the perfect prescription for a creative jump start to your life. Enthusiasm and playfulness provide keys to discovering who you are and what you love to do. Living Out Loud includes games, projects, activities, crafts, postcards and playful ideas. Author: Keri Smith. Chronicle Books, 2003. Hardcover, spiral bound, 124 pages, 8 postcards. RRP: $32.95. Catalogue number: 8865.

4. Explorations in Creative Writing — Much more than a primer for aspiring authors, this book transports the reader through the dilemmas of

It’s not what you look at that matters, it is what you see - Thoreau

TOP 10 - Creative writing books....

Greet each day with your eyes open to beauty, your mind open to change and your heart open to love - Paula Finn.

becoming a writer. Novelist and poet Kevin Brophy eloquently reflects on the processes of writing, of teaching and studying writing. Peppered with Brophy’s personal experiences and private thoughts, often humorous, always sentient, this is an original, highly readable text for any person interested in creative writing. Author: Kevin Brophy. Melbourne University Press, 2003. Softcover, 246 pages. RRP: $34.95. Catalogue number: 9135.

5. Expressive Therapies — Psychotherapists, counsellors and other health care professionals are increasingly turning to expressive therapies: sandplay therapy, symbol work, dreamwork, process drawing, mandala artwork, emotional release processes, bioenergetics, movement and dance, visualisation and expressive writing. This timely volume offers a comprehensive presentation of many innovative and powerful modalities. Expert contributors present in-depth descriptions of their respective approaches to intervention with children, adults, and groups, paying attention to strategies for integrating expressive work into other forms of psychotherapy. Edited by: Cathy Malchiodi. Guilford, 2006. Softcover, 220 pages. RRP: $39.95. Catalogue number: 8203.

6. Releasing the Creative Spirit - Creativity is basic to the very fiber of our being, and is not, as many feel, solely the privilege of a gifted few. Author Dan Wakefield helps us to examine the reasons for repressing our creative instincts and offers a path towards a fulfilling, creative life. This book will encourage you to: recognise and move beyond the tired routines in your life that deaden the senses and soul; experience new sensations through simple practices that revive natural perceptions and unlock hidden creative resources; and try hands-on, practical exercises to explore the mystery of creativity in your life from a spiritual perspective. Author: Dan Wakefield. Skylight Paths Publishing, 2001. Softcover, 240 pages. NB Our copies have minor signs of shelfwear. RRP: $33.95. Catalogue number: 9377.

7. Self on the Page - Subtitled “Theory and Practice of Creative Writing in Personal Development”, this book examines the potential of creative writing as a therapeutic tool. The book is divided into two parts. In Part One, representative practitioners

provide an overview of current work in the field, including the uses of the various genres of creative writing from poetry to autobiography and literary fiction. The discussion is based on the authors’ experience of conducting courses, workshops and research projects with a wide range of groups including students, people suffering dementia and people with learning disabilities. Part Two explores the theoretical background to the therapeutic uses of creative writing. Edited by: Celia Hunt and Fiona Sampson. Jessica Kingsley Publishers,1998. Softcover, 222 pages. RRP: $39.95. Catalogue number: 9527.

8. The Power of Metaphor— When a metaphor is embedded in a story, the captivation of the listener activates the subconscious and the metaphor is absorbed. Teachers, trainers and therapists alike will find this an invaluable book for helping to understand the many uses of metaphor, and the book is also a rich source of thought-provoking stories. There are also stories to deal with many different counselling themes, such as leaving the past behind, differentiating between needs and wants, rising above self-imposed limitations and reconciliation. Authors: Michael Berman & David Brown. Publisher Crown House Publishing, UK, 2002. Softcover, 205 pages. RRP: $39.95. Catalogue number: 8134.

9. The Tao of Writing — The creative process doesn’t have to be torturous. Invoking the principles of the Tao allows you to do your best work. By tapping into the true flow of your creativity, you can discover and develop your true talents and abilities. Author Ralph Wahlstrom uses the connection between teaching, writing, and the tenets of the Tao to help you learn to write from a new perspective, enhancing your work and your creative journey. Author: Ralph L. Wahlstrom. Adams Media, 2007. Softcover, 210 pages. RRP: $22.95. Catalogue number: 8902.

10. The Therapeutic Potential of Creative Writing — The act of writing is not just a form of communication but also a means to make sense of experience and arrive at a deeper understanding of the self. The creativity of the process, combined with the achievement of something tangible, increases feelings of self-confidence and self-value. Suitable for healthcare professionals wishing to implement therapeutic writing with their patients and for those seeking to write creatively to help themselves, this text provides

practical, tried and tested suggestions for beginning to write and for developing writing further. Author: Gillie Bolton. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1999. Softcover, 252 pages. RRP: $38.95. Catalogue number: 9528.

11. Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak — From the editors of the New York Times comes another collection of brief true tales, this time simple sagas exploring the complexities of the human heart. This pocket-size book contains hundreds of personal stories about the pinnacles and pitfalls of romance. Brilliant in their brevity, these insightful slivers of passion, pain and connection capture every shade of love and loss - six words at a time! Published by HarperPerennial, 2009. Softcover, 131 pages. RRP: $19.99. Catalogue number: 9217. 12. Six Word Memoirs, Not Quite What I Was Planning — One Life. Six Words. What’s Yours? When Hemingway famously wrote, “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn,” he proved that an entire story can be told using a half dozen words. When the online storytelling magazine ‘SMITH’ asked readers to submit six-word memoirs, they proved an entire real life story can be told this way too. The results are fascinating, hilarious, shocking, and moving. HarperCollins, 2008. Softcover, 228pp. RRP: $22.99. Catalogue number: 9070.

13. 101 Healing Stories — This book by author George W. Burns celebrates the rewards of using parables, fables and metaphors in therapy and as a compassionate and creative way to help clients discuss problems and consider solutions. Author: George W. Burns. Publisher: W.W. Norton, 2001. Softcover, 272 pages. RRP: $74.95. Catalogue number: 8200.14. The Power of Memoir — This book presents an innovative step-by-step program that uses memoir writing to facilitate the journey towards emotional and physical healing. By drawing on the eight steps outlined in ‘The Power of Memoir’, you’ll learn how to choose the significant milestones in your life and weave together your personal story. The book offers the tools you need to write your truths and shape your narrative to effect life-changing transformation. Author: Joy Meyers. Jossey-Bass Publishing, 2010. Softcover, 251 pages. RRP: $22.95. Catalogue number: 9246.15. Writing Works — A guide for writers or therapists working with groups or individuals. This book offers practical advice on everything from the equipment needed to run a session, to ideas for themes. All of this is backed by the theory that underpins the art therapy methods explained. Edited by Gillie Bolton, Victoria Field & Kate Thompson. Jessica Kingsley, 2006. Softcover, 256 pages. RRP: $39.95. Catalogue number: 8822.

The world is wonderful and beautiful and good beyond one’s wildest imagination - Essence by Suzanne Maher

TOP 10 - Creative writing books....