play Archives - ��Ƶ of Theology & Psychology

What To Do After Graduation

��Ƶ — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 14:00:45 +0000

Next week, on June 29, our whole community will gather at Town Hall Seattle for Commencement 2019. It’s the momentous end of a busy academic year, a chance to celebrate, remember, and connect together before entering the spacious, sunny months of July and August. And for the 59 students who will be walking across that stage, graduation represents the end of years of grueling labor, rigorous personal development, and courageous conversations.

So the question arises: What next? Besides celebrating with loved ones (and maybe taking a nap), how do you mark the end of such a significant chapter and begin transitioning toward whatever’s ahead? We shared that question—What should I do after graduation?—with our alumni community, asking for advice, stories, and resources. Here are some of their answers:

Explore

“After I graduated I gave myself two full months to live life before I started looking for a job. I road tripped and camped through Crater Lake, Grand Tetons, and Rocky Mountain National Parks for about two weeks and then traveled to Rome, Morocco, and Los Angeles. I did all of this because I wanted to revisit some significant places in my story and have a new adventure to reclaim the part of myself I set down as school took up so much time and space. I’m forever grateful I was able to do these things so I could get centered again, remember that the world is big and beautiful and full of possibility, and take that stance/mindset to step into my professional role as a therapist.” –Krystina Ptasinski (MA in Counseling Psychology, ’16)
“After graduation, I went on a pilgrimage to Norway—a decision prompted by several classes I’d taken, including Multicultural Perspectives and Celtic Spirituality. My pilgrimage was to explore the (primary) land of my ethnic/ancestral roots. I knew that I had family scattered about Norway—not many contacts, but enough info to risk going.” –Eric Nicolaysen (Master of Divinity, ’12)

Center

“Two things that were helpful for me: 1) Go to the doctor and get a full physical. Grad school can be stressful, and stress is tough on your body. Get a full picture of your physical health and make some plans to recover. 2) Take a lot of naps over the next few months. You have probably lost a lot of sleep over the last few years, and graduation in and of itself is wonderfully exhausting. Get some rest!” –Ashley Wright (MACP, ’16)
“I think everybody should join me on a . Let’s get out of the city, inhale the ridiculous beauty of the Pacific Northwest, gain healing wisdom from Mother Earth, and reconnect with our own inner, still voices.” –Michelle Allen (MACP, ’14)

Read?

“This one probably seems preposterous, since right now some of you might feel like you never want to look at a book again. But the summer after graduation, I listened to of the entire Harry Potter series (yes, audiobooks count) and it was exactly what I needed—a sweeping, fantastic story that managed to transcend my day-to-day life while still helping me feel more closely connected to the world around me.” –Beau Denton (MACP, ‘17)
If you’re looking for summer reading ideas, check out these faculty recommendations for incoming students on the Matriculate blog. Because every ending is really another beginning, right?

Whether you’re graduating next week or just looking forward to a couple months without classes, we hope the summer ahead is full of rest, connection, and the opportunity to grow more deeply into yourself. And in the meantime, we’d love to see you at Commencement next Saturday—either in person at Town Hall or , where we’ll be streaming the whole ceremony live.

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Welcoming Summer to Seattle

��Ƶ — Fri, 17 May 2019 13:00:34 +0000

We know Seattle is known for its gray, drizzly days, but here’s a little secret: Summer is pretty magical here. As the days grow longer, warmer, and brighter, it’s the perfect opportunity to take our ��Ƶ community outside the red brick building and into the sun. We did that very thing recently, gathering for a glorious sunset at Golden Gardens in Ballard. A group of students hit the beach to play some volleyball, gather around a fire, and welcome summer with open arms. In the midst of a busy term and the near-end of another academic year, what a gift it was to connect in this way.

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Playfulness

Heather Casimere — Wed, 21 Feb 2018 18:21:04 +0000

As our current students near Reading Week—an opportunity each term to pause, catch up, and enjoy a week without classes—Heather Casimere writes about the beauty and importance of play. In the midst of hard, meaningful work and challenging realities, Heather reminds us that a little bit of childlike playfulness can go a long way.

Since moving to Seattle, I’ve found myself collecting little trinkets here and there. A pair of tiny purple mermaids found a way to nestle between my steering wheel and glove compartment; a duet of Play-Doh containers jingle around with my office supplies. The art which spills out of my paintbrushes and onto the canvas is full of colorful shapes and figures. The pieces I produce are often playful, like a child’s.

I know how to grind. Even in the midst of full-time graduate school and part-time administrative work, I’ve learned to keep on keeping on. I can manage school and work and exercise and friends and family and creative expression. That Black woman survivor gene is strong. But what about giving myself permission to drop the sword? What about surrendering to the childlike joy of play?

“What about surrendering to the childlike joy of play?”

This is something my five-year-old friend Eliam is teaching me. “Miss Heather, Miss Heather!” He exclaims, jumping up and down with excitement. In the several weeks we’ve not seen each other, Christmas has come and gone, and he emanates joy, thrilled to introduce me to his new friends (playthings). “Want to see my new motorcycle? Look at what my Dad built me! Want to play with this remote-control droid?” Intimidated at the prospect of flying his tiny helicopter indoors, I take the remote control sports car on a whirl. We end up sitting, as we do most times, bottoms on the floor, eager to see what will reveal itself to us through the assorted tubes of paint.

This is where we play. Eliam has been the perfect partner-in-play during this season of emotional excavation and rebuilding of foundations. He shares with me his excitement for hummingbirds, his new works of art, the exciting new games he has learned. He inspires me to come up out of the deep and splash around in the joy of the surface for a while. My young friend makes it easy to laugh; to chase; to tickle; to play. I want more of this in my life! Frequent trips to visit my young friend (and his playful parents) are in order.

But how do we create space for playfulness when not hanging out with our tiny role models? I think we must be intentional about creating mini adventures that allow us to jump, laugh, and roll. Play may be as simple as making space for it. Reading Week is just around the corner. Perhaps it looks like running up to the mountains or taking a roadtrip with friends (as I intend to do). Maybe it’s checking out the new movie (shout out to Wakanda!) or ducking into a new restaurant with delicious expectation. Whatever it is, let’s take advantage of this built in space to laugh, to dance, to play…and oh yeah…to read!

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