children | mindfulart

The benefits of Art Therapy for Children

While children can often benefit from therapy, they may find it scary or difficult to properly express themselves in a clinical setting. This is particularly true for young children who generally have limited vocabularies. In addition to standard therapy methods, children can use art to communicate their thoughts and feelings to the adults who want to help them.The most common way to use art is to escape from the stress of illness or disability. It is also used as a symbolic language. With the help of the therapist, the child deciphers the meaning of the picture and discusses the underlying issues that inspired the artwork. No matter how it is used, art therapy can be a creative outlet for children struggling with the circumstances of their lives.

Creating artwork is a non-threatening venue that allows kids to tackle tough issues in a creative way. Talking to the children about their drawings or paintings and helping them interpret the art can provide therapists with the opening they need to get at the heart of the problems affecting their young patients.

How does art therapy work?

What evidence supports art therapy with children?

The exact process depends on the age of the child and the problem being treated. More often than not, the therapist will give the child a prompt to get them started. For example, he may ask the child to draw a house or favorite food & set them free to express themselves.

After the pictures have been completed, the therapist will begin to question the child about various aspects of the artwork in an effort to understand what the thoughts or feelings it represents.

Art therapy can aid a child in achieving better self-awareness, relief from stress or anxiety, learning disorders, autism, and other traumatic experiences.

Through art therapy, children receive treatment that is based on their existing strengths, weaknesses, interests and concerns. It can help children of all ages and races.

What issues can art therapy address in children?

Art therapy for mental health problems in children
Art therapy for bereaved children and/or a child suffering from bereavement
Art therapy for children with learning disabilities
Art therapy can help children with emotional problems
Art therapy can aid kids with their cognitive abilities
Art therapy can help a child or children with abuse, helping them communicate about physical or sexual abuse
Art therapy and children cancer patients…can help a child with cancer
Art therapy for treatment of schizophrenia in children

Art therapy and ADHD

“Numerous case studies have reported that art therapy benefits patients with both emotional and physical illnesses. Case studies have involved many areas, including burn recovery in adolescents and young children, eating disorders, emotional impairment in young children, reading performance, childhood grief, and sexual abuse in adolescents. Studies of adults using art therapy have included adults or families in bereavement, patients and family members dealing with addictions, and patients who have undergone bone marrow transplants, among others. Some of the potential uses of art therapy to be researched include reducing anxiety levels, improving recovery times, decreasing hospital stays, improving communication and social function, and pain control.” (American Cancer Society, 2012)

Art Therapy can help children with Autism or Aspergers

First, by creating an atmosphere that is sensory friendly e.g low lights, soft music, calm wall spaces and a peaceful environment I invite the children into the art space. The space has limited stimulation

so children have less sensory input to deal with when they enter. I use breathing exercises as a calming technique to help ground the children and make them more able to tolerate being in their body at a slowed down pace. Children create art in a very honest and forthright way.

It shows how they feel and understand the world.

It shows how their interpretations of the world which constantly change as their feelings and ideas change. For children, art activities work best when they are a creative

experience that requires original thinking, planning and doing on their behalf.

Children are not always creating “something”. Often they are in the experience of playing with the paint, colour or shape they are making. By adults asking what something is, this often takes a child out of the

experience of just being with the materials. By referring to achild’s art as designs, the young child has a ready answer to the inevitable question by adults, "What is it?” The young child can answer "It's a design!" and continue playing.

According to Stacey Nelson ( Kennedy Krieger Institute) art therapy:

Generates a relaxation response and improves a child's mood.
Increases brain levels of serotonin, the lack of which can lead to depression.
Reduces stress hormones — manipulating clay can have a more profound effect than squeezing a stress ball.

"Art therapy is a great opportunity for teachers and therapists to reinforce positive behavior such as staying on task, following instructions, which can be difficult for kids with ADHD," shares Paul Lucas. The arts can be a great vehicle in this endevour. Engaging in creative activities such as art, music and dance have been shown to help children with ADHD calm down because it utilizes the part of the brain that controls emotions. When the emotions are under control, the focusing can be much easier. Most of us have experienced this; when we are upset about a personal issue….it is hard to concentrate at work? So, therefore reaching the emotional brains through the arts can infact increase focus.

Basically, children with ADHD find it difficult to slow down their minds and bodies in order to concentrate on basic activities. When use art based activities, we usually see a shift in mood. The creative mind helps most children get to a focused state.