This summer GW Art Therapy students and faculty traveled to South Africa for the Social & Cultural Diversity course. The trip was three weeks and we visited Cape Town, Johannesburg and then worked for two weeks in Winterveld, a tiny town in the north, at a youth center, Bokamoso, and with children in a day care center. The trip then ended with a weekend safari in Pilanesberg. The landscape is breathtaking, the people are some of the friendliest I have ever met, and the art therapy was warmly welcomed by everyone.
Quote from student: “After this trip, I am much more self-aware! Of both my biases and my own cultural identity. I have worked with clients from a culture different than my own and know better how to be adaptable and flexible. I made amazing connections within the community that have guided my understanding of being a culturally competent therapist.”
