1. The Creative Balance Tool Lisa Sosin, phD, lpc, llp, Bacs

2. Learning Outcomes:
Understand the rationale for integrating creativity and a focus on “mind health” in the higher education classroom
Learn the Creative Balance Tool: a Christ Centered, creative adaption of Siegel’s (2010) "Healthy Mind Platter"
Understand the steps of teaching the Creative Balance Tool to undergraduate and graduate students
Practice the Creative Balance Tool
Describe and evaluate the experience with peers

3. learning outcome one: Understand the rationale for integrating creativity and a focus on “mind health” in the higher education classroom

4. The importance of integrating creativity in higher education
Arts integration promotes information processing that improves long-term memory (Rinne, Gregory, Yarmolinskaya, & Hardiman, 2011).
Creative activities enrich the psychological states of adults, which in turn improves quality of life and well being (Simonton, 2000).
The ability to be creative in the work environment has been associated with general health (Mirowsky & Ross, 2007).
Creativity supports adaptability and problem solving skills (Lawrence, Foster, & Tieso, 2015).
Creativity in adult learners is associated with intrinsic motivation, enterprise, persistence, resilience, curiosity, assessing and testing, problem solving, imagination… (Tsai, 2012).

5. The importance of teaching mind health in higher education
Practices that directly enhance brain and mind health result in:
Increased compe­tence
Increased memory
Greater creativity
More positive affect and emotion regulation skills
Decreased stress
Increased health and lon­gevity (Langer, 2000).
Brain and mind health practices increase college students’ school success and overall well-being (Bovier, Chamot, & Perneger, 2004; Manimoy, Panton, & Marzigliano, 2008).
Brain and mind health practices facilitate overall bio-psycho-social-spiritual health, life satisfaction, and performance (Siegel, 2011).

6. THE CREATIVE BALANCE TOOL IS COMPOSED OF THREE EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICES THAT SUPPORT HEALTHY OVERALL MIND AND BODY FUNCTIONING:
“The Healthy Mind Platter has seven daily essential mental activities necessary for optimum mental health. These seven daily activities make up the full set of “mental nutrients” that your brain and relationships need to function at their best. By engaging every day in each of these servings, you promote integration in your life and enable your brain to coordinate and balance its activities. These essential mental activities strengthen your brain's internal connections and your connections with other people and the world around you” (Siegel, 2010, Online).
Adding spiritual integration to this tool provides students with a direct connection with the Fountain of Living Water within them Who promises to give them rest (Matt. 11: 28-30) and make their path straight (Proverbs 3: 4).
Adding creativity facilitates the integration of left and right brain functioning tapping into both implicit and explicit experience and knowing (Rappaport, ).

7. Learning outcome two: Learn the Creative Balance Tool: a Christ Centered, creative adaption of Siegel’s (2010) "Healthy Mind Platter"
(Siegel, D. (2010). The healthy mind platter. Mind your brain website: )

8. The Creative Balance Tool SUPPLIES
Paper
Colored pencils, pastels/crayons, and markers
Flat Surface
Come get your supplies!

9. LEARNING OUTCOME THREE: Practice the Creative Balance Tool
STEP ONE: ANCHORING
STEP TWO: CREATIVE DEPICTION
STEP THREE: ASSESS THE SEVEN MIND HEALTH PROMOTING PRACTICES
STEP FOUR:CREATIVE DEPICTION
STEP FIVE: SHARING

10. STEPS ONE AND TWO: ANCHORING & DEPICTING YOUR ANCHOR
Anchor: Deep breathing, systematic relaxation, connect with Jesus.
Take time with your soul and Jesus. Allow the reality of His Unfailing Love and Presence to emerge and be the focus of your energy and attention
Allow an image, colors, memory, or scripture that represents this state of being safe, wanted, chosen, and loved to arise.
Depict your Anchor in the center of your paper, as you continue to breathe deeply and relax
Share your depiction with a partner

11. STEP THREE AND FOUR: ASSESSING THE BALANCE OF MIND HEALTH PROMOTING PRACTICES & CREATIVE DEPICTION
Prayerfully consider how you are balancing each of the seven elements and then depict them around your safe place:
Focus Time: When we closely focus on tasks in a goal-oriented way, we take on challenges that make deep connections in the brain.
Play Time: When we allow ourselves to be spontaneous or creative, playfully enjoying novel experiences, we help make new connections in the brain.
Connecting Time: When we connect with other people, ideally in person, and when we take time to appreciate our connection to the natural world around us, we activate and reinforce the brain's relational circuitry.
Physical Time: When we move our bodies, aerobically if medically possible, we strengthen the brain in many ways.
Time In: When we quietly reflect internally, focusing on sensations, images, feelings and thoughts, we help to better integrate the brain.
Down Time: When we are non-focused, without any specific goal, and let our minds wander or simply relax, we help the brain recharge.
Sleep Time: When we give the brain the rest it needs, we consolidate learning and recover from the experiences of the day.

12. REVIEW OF PROCESS
Anchor: Deep breathing, systematic relaxation, connect with Jesus.
Depict Anchor
Prayerfully consider how you are balancing each of the seven elements and then depict them around your safe place:
Focus Time: When we closely focus on tasks in a goal-oriented way, we take on challenges that make deep connections in the brain.
Play Time: When we allow ourselves to be spontaneous or creative, playfully enjoying novel experiences, we help make new connections in the brain.
Connecting Time: When we connect with other people, ideally in person, and when we take time to appreciate our connection to the natural world around us, we activate and reinforce the brain's relational circuitry.
Physical Time: When we move our bodies, aerobically if medically possible, we strengthen the brain in many ways.
Time In: When we quietly reflect internally, focusing on sensations, images, feelings and thoughts, we help to better integrate the brain.
Down Time: When we are non-focused, without any specific goal, and let our mind wander or simply relax, we help the brain recharge.
Sleep Time: When we give the brain the rest it needs, we consolidate learning and recover from the experiences of the day.
Share your depiction with a partner

13. LEARNING OUTCOME FOUR: Describe and evaluate the experience with your peers and Q/A

14. References
T. V. (2004). Perceived stress, internal resources, and social support as determinants of mental health among young adults. Quality of Life Research, 13(1), 161–170.
Langer, E. (2000). Mindful learning. American Psychological Society, 9:6,
Lawrence, C., Foster, V., & Tieso, C. (2015). Creating creative clinicians: Incorporating creativity into counselor education. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 10:
Manimoy, P., Panton, C, & Marzigliano, N.(2008). Do students with healthy habits perform better in their academics? Academy of Educational Leadershp, 13, 47-54
Mirowsky, J., & Ross, C. E. (2007). Creative work and health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 48(4),
Rappaport, L. (2009). Focusing-oriented art therapy: Accessing the body’s wisdom and creative intelligence. PA: Jessica Kingsley Publications.
Rinne, L., Gregory,E., Yarmolinskaya, J., & Hardiman, M. (2011). Why arts integration improves long-term retention of content. Mind, brain, and education, 5(2), 89-96(8).
Siegel, D.(2011). Mindsight: The new science of personal transformation. NY: Bantam Books.
Siegel, D. (2010). The healthy mind platter. Mind your brain website:
Simonton, D. K. (2000). Creativity: Cognitive, personal, developmental, and social aspects. American Psychologist, 55(1), doi: / X
Tsai, K.C. (2012). The necessity of creativity development in adult learners for lifelong learning. International Journal of Learning & Development, 2, 4. Doi: /ijld.v2i4.2114