To do a thesis or not to do a thesis (a drop in the bucket, let's say)...

So... one of the many things I've gone back and forth on within my current graduate training has been whether or not to do a thesis. (I also go back on forth on whether the program/major/career path is right for me, whether to do a dual specialization in school and community counseling, whether to do an additional year or try to finish as quickly as possible, and whether to go on for a Ph.D. or Psy.D. so that I can teach.)

Lately I've been grabbed by the idea of continuing my exploration of and interest in creative and expressive arts interventions and looking at existing research on utilizing such techniques with multicultural populations for whom strictly verbal approaches (i.e., talk therapy) are not adequately effective.

The latest Journal of Creativity in Mental Health has a few articles right up this alley, which got me thinking about it again today, after having sort of written it off as "too much work" and "not really what I want or where I'm headed."

But then, that's only true in certain moments... because I tend to vacillate greatly as I flounder through life in search of what I am passionate about and what I want. Seems so silly that should be such a hard thing for me to define, but it is.

Only time will tell whether I embark upon a lit review and case study example on integrating creative and expressive arts into school counseling techniques and interventions. As an appreciator of Adler, finding some way to utilize such approaches within a small group context would probably be ideal, especially since it connects with some of my other research/personal interests with regard to the intersection of self-esteem and social connection.

Who knows. Maybe something will happen to make it all clear. Or maybe I will simply find a moment within which to choose one path or the other... and commit to such a road, despite my misgivings it may be the wrong one. (Of course, the ultimate shift to embrace is believing there is no wrong road. But I'm still working on that one.)

The bottom line, though, is that it's a joy to have such a struggle in the first place. I feel blessed to be in school, to have the ability to do such work, and to have the support of my advisers to push myself in this way. Whether I choose to do one or not, it's a great dilemma to have... especially if I look at the bucket and not the drops.