This interactive workshop will introduce the possible benefits and challenges of using creative methods such as visual arts (craft, photography, film, collages), drama and storytelling in individual and group career guidance. The main objective is to share our good practice with multidisciplinarity in career guidance and open a discussion about the application of creative arts into career guidance.
Creativity plays a vital role in constructivist approaches to career guidance. Individuals are not the only ones who should be creative in their career planning (Peiperl et al.,2002), also career counsellors are encouraged to use creativity in their work (e.g., Amundson, 1998, Peavy,2004). The incorporation of creative arts into the counselling process is one of the possible ways how to strengthen clients’ creativity and support them in discovering new perspectives. According to our experience however, this creative approach using arts is still received with mixed feelings and many doubts by career counsellors in the Czech Republic.
The first part of the workshop will introduce the methodological background, the benefits and the challenges of applying art therapy methods into the career guidance process. The main focus will be in introducing the connection between art and drama therapy techniques and our clients’ self-knowledge improvement and skills development. We will present examples of our good practice in incorporating creative methods while counselling different target groups (unemployed adults, parents on maternity leave, migrants and children). The second part of the workshop will be practical – participants will try some techniques focused on creativity development. The workshop will end with a reflection of their experience by participants and a discussion about the possible ways of incorporating creative methods into their daily practice.
