What is Finishing School again?

Finishing school is for those of you who want to be finished with school and get on with adulting in the real grown up world. Finishing School gives you accountability, support, and community to creatively find your way. We have two streams: Waypoints (workshops) and Wayfinding (our semester-long program). We also host occasional art therapy small groups.

Is Finishing School therapy?

Finishing School offers curated small group art therapy on our in-house online platform; see our courses for current offerings. Individual consultations can be offered on request.

Our main offering are courses that are self-directed and can be done on your own or with a group of your people. Our mission is to make our courses valuable, but accessible, with a big community with events that give you the energy of attending an art opening an art collective of which you’re a part of the show. Here, your instructors there to creatively guide, inspire, coach, and nudge. In our Waypoints we don’t treat, as we do in therapy, but instead creatively coach.

I am not in my 20’s...can I still join?

Our first cohort of Finishing School is geared towards people who are graduating and entering the adult world for the first time… For some that could be 18 and for others (especially if you have been in studies for a long time), that could mean in your early 30s. If the content seems to buzz with you then we would encourage you to apply. We will take care in building a cohort that learns from one another.

Does this curriculum have practical life skills like financial literacy?

Finishing School’s overall focus is to develop maturity that will lend discipline to finances and other elements of lifestyle. In November, we discuss the theme of Living with Less: we encourage scholars to wonder about the consequences of their consumer habits, and how this awareness can create more freedom in finances and all round living. Our Wayfinders stream is tailored to our scholar’s Big Questions. We will invite guest speakers and offer seminars that both equip our Wayfinders with new learning, and encourage them to keep asking Good Questions.

I’m a parent and am interested in this program for my adult child.  How can I entice them to apply?

Join a Waypoint with us, together, parent, and adult-child. Model your own risk-taking as you, parent, get creative about this good question of how to support your child to come of age. It will make for some good conversation and interesting artwork. Remember that when you DO-FOR your child, it is another missed opportunity for them to do FOR themselves.

Is the Finishing School for people that want to become therapists?

Finishing School is for those of you who are curious about the field, though this sure is not professional training. AND our courses are for you who have never given therapy much thought, but who we’ve made curious enough to wonder how your coming-of-age could be enriched by therapy-inspired lessons.

What if I have mental health problems?

The hard work of ‘coming-of-age’ brings on fears, worries, and stuck-ness that is normal for this stage. These are not mental illness, but a part of human development. If you have a history of trauma, and /or a diagnosis of anxiety, depression, or mood problems, Finishing School will help you adult in spite of these problems. If you have symptoms that disrupt your days, you would do well to pair the program with individual psychotherapy. If this is the case, we will recommend individual therapy alongside Finishing School, and if you don’t have resources, we will try to help you find the right one.

Can I do Finishing School in a group with my friends?

This we highly recommend. To be in the Wayfinders program, each scholar is registered seperately. In a Waypoint workshop, you can participate alongside as many people as you can fit around a table full of art supplies. Make it an art material potlatch, and create accountability by meeting up with nearby friends to do the exploration that Finishing School inspires.