Art Therapy with other Jewish Agencies in Pittsburgh
The following comes to us from JFCS Psychotherapist Kelly Moore:
I am new to being a part of the Pittsburgh Jewish Community, and I can say that it has been a warm welcome from many. A part of that welcoming has come from the other Pittsburgh Jewish agencies. As I previously wrote about, COVID has affected all of us and many of our capacities to be effective workers and care takers. So, as I began running the Art Therapy Group with the JFCS Staff, the idea presented to also offer the virtual group for other Jewish agency staff as well.
The Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh and Jewish Association of Aging have both been eager participants to offer Art Therapy groups for their staff weekly. Those in upper management for each agency took time to speak with me directly because they saw value in offering this support to their staff members. They chose to give this opportunity to their employees weekly to support them in this unprecedented time. Employees are given the option to voluntarily join the group and choose to participate at their comfortability level. The purpose of the group is to engage together as co-workers, without the focus of work topics, to create art with intentions of self reflections, insight, mindfulness, and a space to give back to the self.
I have had the pleasure to meet with each agency’s Art Therapy Group twice now and engage with them on personal levels. The group is a space of closeness and joy. Each of the staff members that have brought along unique experiences and perspectives to share with the group that create a fun dynamic. It has been a pleasure to work with other employees in the Jewish community here in Pittsburgh, and to support them in a time in which they have been enduring a lot of changes and stressors.