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April 24, 2007

Maple Center workshop to help people cope with grief

By Deb McKee

TERRE HAUTE — When Cathie Laska’s 22-year-old daughter died unexpectedly in December, the elementary art teacher sought comfort in creating art.

Suzanne Carter, a poet and artist whose 20-year-old son died last year, also turned to artwork in her grief.

Now, along with the help of the Maple Center, Inc., Laska and Carter are bringing the concept of artistic expression as a way of coping to others who may be grieving.

Beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday the Maple Center will present a workshop titled Creating a Path Through Grief Using the Arts: Resources for the Brokenhearted. The workshop includes lunch and is meant for anyone experiencing grief, whether through the loss of a loved one or any other type of loss, according to Kathleen Stienstra, M.D., a member of the clinical staff at the Maple Center who has helped coordinate the workshop.

The development of the workshop was a collaborative effort by Laska, Carter and Stienstra.

When Lydia Laska died in December, the Laska family decided to honor her memory by suggesting donations to the Maple Center in her name. “She was very artsy,” Cathie Laska said recently. “She loved going to museums, she loved seeing theater, loved playing the violin, she liked all the arts, so this is ideal for her.”

Carter, whose son, Patrick Burkett, died in March 2006, also liked the idea of honoring Burkett through the art workshop.

“As I looked around at things I wanted to do in my son’s honor, I thought this might be something I’d like to work with,” she said. “His music was his lifeline. It seemed the most appropriate way to honor him.”

The family set up a memorial fund for Burkett at the Maple Center for this workshop as well as future healing workshops, Carter said.

“I’m a poet and a fiber artist,” Carter said. “I turned to my own artwork, but found I needed more, so I started drawing and doing other things I hadn’t done before. I discovered it was a real assistance in dealing with my loss.”

Stienstra said the workshop is for everyone, “not just people who are already artists.”

Laska agreed.

“This is sort of intended to be there for everyone, maybe especially people who don’t have a creative outlet,” Laska said. “No matter where you are artistically, you will be able to be a creative person. This is coming from within, from your soul basically. It’s not about putting art in an exhibit,” she added.

With sessions such as “Drawing through loss: telling your story with line and color,” “Breaking down the walls of grief: expressing and reflecting ourselves through music,” “Journaling through grief,” and “Using guided imagery as a source of comfort and exploration when grieving,” among others, the workshop is extended also to caregivers who may be tending to terminally-ill persons, as well as chaplains.

Stienstra said the idea of art in assisting the grieving process is not new.

“Oftentimes when we create something using art, whether it be poetry, drawing, movement, it allows us to express some things that are deeper than our conscious thinking … it can be magical sometimes the insights that arise from letting that creative part of oneself to flow.”

This is the first time the Maple Center has offered the art workshop. The center, founded in 2004, has sponsored a variety of educational seminars and sessions in line with its mission. The Maple Center provides integrative health consultations and educational programs for men and women of all ages to improve their quality of life.

Stienstra defined integrative medicine as combining the best of modern medicine with the best of complementary care, such as imagery, music and art therapy and mind-body techniques, manipulative therapy and massage therapy.

Carter hopes it will lead to similar workshops in the future.

“I’m hoping this particular one … could be annual,” she said. “We might even have a group that forms out of it, depending on what people would like to see happen.”

Both Carter and Laska said that being with others who have experienced similar losses can be part of the healing process.

Laska, who says she was in shock for awhile after Lydia died, said, “I didn’t know until I lost my daughter just how isolated you start to feel. Everyone else is onto their normal daily lives again, and you have to think about that.”

There still is space available in Saturday’s workshop.

Deb McKee can be reached at (812) 231-4254 or deb.mckee@tribstar.com.





What to know

What: Creating a Path Through Grief Using the Arts: Resources for the Brokenhearted in memory of Lydia Laska and Patrick Burkett

When: Saturday

Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Where: Landsbaum Center for Health Education, 1433 North 61⁄2 Street, Terre Haute, Indiana 47807

Cost: $10 per person, includes lunch

To register call the Maple Center at (812) 234-8733. You may also register online at themaplecenter.org/

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