Review
As we discussed earlier, this opportunity to learn and observe at the Mifne
Center was a tremendous privilege for me. I had such a wonderful time serving
eachof you in numerous ways, while at the same time I was able to learn so much.
Right from the beginning, conversations that Irit and I had planted the idea of the
autonomy of the child in my mind that continued to grow throughout my
observations. The most powerful learning tool for me during my time at the Mifne
was the many hours of observation.
First of all, my observations of the therapists changed my view of what
therapists were capable of doing with children that were not their own. Everyone at
the Mifne Center was so careful and attentive to the family. The play therapy stood
out to me as a wonderful way to connect with the children. In my job in America, we
are expected to drill the children on their knowledge base while completely missing
the connection or relationship between the therapist and child. I was so impressed
by the careful yet persistent way the Mifne forced the children to find self and
connect with other people as their own individual.
Observing how the children reacted to the therapists also opened my eyes to
the effectiveness of the Mifne Method. The fact that the children I observed reacted
so quickly and successfully to the therapy is the best recommendation in my
thinking. Watching the videos of children in past years helped blossom this idea for
me. The children I observed not only improved in their parent’s eyes, but they also
seemed to be happier and enjoy people so much more. This jump from a
secludedbubble to a world of relationships for the children must be the most
rewarding feeling.
Lastly, I learned so much from the research, communication, and feedback
that the Mifne remains actively involved with. Again, I was not able to join in on
most of this other then brief helps with English grammar questions, but I was able to
learn so much by watching the research take place and reading some of the papers.
The feedback worksheet helped me better understand how each therapist views the
therapy. Also, the communication between the therapists and parents, therapists
and children, and even therapists and myself was very important. The high
emphasis on teaching and consistent learning made an impact on how I want to
return to my job and schooling.
The immediate application of what I have learned will be seen most clearly in
my job. As I mentioned to many of you, I am so excited to return to my job with a
new goal in mind. My goal right now is to help the children I work with to discover
relationships and self, and I want to keep learning as much as possible on how to
better accomplish this goal. This trip is just a beginning in my study and learning
process, andI plan to keep learning andimproving. I am so thankful that I have
connected with the Mifne Center, and I cannot wait to see you again.I consider every
one of you a wonderful contact and friend.
Ariel Huntress