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Groups for Children“We had the pleasure of working with Karen Wallace at
McKenzie Elementary in Victoria, B.C. Karen worked at our school as an Art Therapist. Karen has an intuitive sense when it comes to children and very quickly develops a wonderful rapport with her young clients. Her therapy room became a safe haven for many children where they could explore their experiences and feelings with an adult they could trust. Karen’s enthusiasm for working with young children is wonderful to watch. She gives children the language to express their very real anger or fears through their art. She was able to work with teachers and parents to develop a better understanding for dealing with emotional issues so that a realistic plan could be crafted to make real changes for these children. The activities Karen provided were so appropriate for the children and they were always eager to share or display their work. Karen also developed an outreach component to her programme that had the students come back to their classroom and teach an art class to their peers. This was such a confidence booster, and only possible through Karen’s gentle guidance. Karen has a great deal to offer other professionals who deal with children in a school setting." |
Children and Art TherapyArt gives children, teens and adults the opportunity to express powerful emotions.
Creating art also offers the opportunity to memorialize losses and connect with others. Art Therapy and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)Art therapy is beneficial to children with ASD due to their intense sensory needs. Art therapy offers visual and tactile self-stimulation, and is visual, concrete and hands-on. 
Art therapy helps treat:- Imagination / abstract thinking deficits I create art projects that provide a visual, concrete format in which children can express creativity, develop abstract thinking skills and increase flexibility. - Sensory regulation and integration I create art exercises that help calm and regulate bodies and minds. Improving regulation often improves imagination. - Emotions / Self-expression I teach children productive ways of expressing their feelings. - Development / Growth I work on improving artistic/drawing development, fine motor skills, and social/relational skills. - Recreation / Leisure Skills I focus on children learning self-direction and patience. These are important life skills to have. - Visual – spatial Deficits Drawing and art making is a useful tool for improving hand-eye coordination. In art therapy sessions children engage with me, model, communicate and build friendships. Projects might involve materials such as paints, clays, pencils, creams, feathers, and beads and processes such as puppetry, printmaking, sculpture, or mural painting. Art Therapy and Adolescents:Creating helps you focus on your islands of competence. Getting into art can help you become more resilient. Working on an art project can help provide physical and psychological stabilization. There is no right or wrong way to create art, each person has their own individual expression, it is something that everyone can do and creating move you towards health. Creating a piece of art gives you a feeling of accomplishment and pride. It can also give you a sense of optimism, ownership and personal control to create something you feel good about. Connecting with your innate creative process helps you reconnect with yourself and it enhances self-esteem. Creating art can help foster hope. Adolescents who might benefit most from an art therapy modality include those:
Coming to Terms With Loss
Often children who are experiencing loss due to a death in the family, divorce or illness find life very confusing. They find it difficult to express their emotions, and are often left feeling helpless and afraid. In order for children to be healthy and happy, they must learn to communicate their needs by expressing themselves in a safe environment. Through writing, talking and making art children learn tools that help them access understanding, strength and trust. The group will help children deepen their self-esteem, learn coping and relaxation skills, work through their fears and their ability to communicate. Transforming Anger and AggressionThis art therapy group is designed to help children learn how to identify and regulate feelings and express them in appropriate ways that do not hurt others. We will work with the fears that underlay the anger. We will use story, art and writing to identify the kinds of situations that provoke anger, understand appropriate ways of dealing with anger and to identify the consequences which follow the inappropriate expression of anger. This therapy group will focus on skill development with an emphasis on learning new coping skills. Feeling Good About Me
This art therapy group is geared to working with raising children’s self concept. Children will be introduced to fun, creative exercises and art activities that will focus on building self-esteem and feeling positive and capable in life. Life skills, communication skills and social skills will be part of the learning. Children experience centering and relaxation techniques. Children learn tools that help them access understanding, strength and trust. Story Telling and Artful Response for the Family
Story is one of our paramount ways of understanding the world and our experiences in it. It is how we think, make sense of experience and cultivate our imaginations. Through storytelling, artistic responses and experimentation we can explore and develop our imaginations and creative abilities in a safe, fun and creative environment. Come listen to some fantastic and fabulous stories that will transport you to other worlds. Participants will experience storytelling and use a variety of artistic media in responding to and recreating stories. For more information visit: Art Therapy Reflections |
The process of making art and the finished artwork facilitates discussion about some of the issues they may be facing. In my experience, I have found that children can often say more in pictures than they are able to articulate. In art making they are able to represent a thought or feeling through an image and therefore make it more tangible and have a permanent record of their experiences. In creating art, conflict, fear, or trauma is re-experienced, resolved and integrated.
The creating and making of art in itself is a healing and therapeutic process. Many physical and psychological skills are learned through making and processing art images. A byproduct of working in art is that children have a stronger sense of who they are and what they are capable of achieving in the world as they learn to be creative and expressive. Art Therapy combines art and psychotherapy in a creative process using the created image as a foundation for self-exploration and understanding. People of all ages can benefit from art therapy and previous art experience is unnecessary as the focus is on personal expression. Art Therapy can heighten creativity and enrich life.
Safety is the only limit. Initial sessions will (ideally) involve family consultation, observation, assessment, establishment of treatment goals, and relationship/trust building. Therapy is often (but not always) long-term (as are most ASD therapies) due to the pervasive and permanent (though improvable) nature of autism.