Western and Chinese
Themes
Birthdays
Divisions of the year/s
Signs and symbols
Aspects of self
Potential benefits
Individual connections within group
Personal qualities
Belief systems
Resources needed
Images of signs
Information on each sign
Pens
Method
- In turn, focus with each person to engage with their sign – day and month of birthday for Western signs, year for Chinese signs. Explore further with them in terms of: the sign and symbol and their connection or not with it; the characteristics of that sign and their connection or not with it
- The facilitator can model the above with their own sign, to help show the possibilities of exploration
- If internet access is available, other information can be discovered within the group (or can be researched and brought back at a later stage). For example, significant historical events that occurred on each person’s birthday, or famous people that share the same birthday
- Any information that is shared can be written on that person’s page in the group or individual book if they are in agreement
Later
This can be added to at a later stage if anything more emerges over the following weeks.
Further sessions
The image of the sign could lead into creating artwork around each person’s symbol – collage, colouring, or sourcing of a variety of styles of that sign.
Exploration of each person’s sign of the zodiac might reveal further themes for continued work: beliefs; animals; pets.
The client’s response
Like the art images, the symbols of these signs may engage people in thinking metaphorically, so further introducing the indirect way that we sometimes work within dramatherapy.
This can be a fun, but also telling, activity, with people recognising the qualities within the signs that resonate with them, and dismissing those that do not.
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