Art Therapy for Bereaved Children
Children experience trauma and loss just as adults do, but children are typically unable to communicate their feelings well to the adults around them. With most children, traumas like the death of a loved one get buried in their subconscious, where it may cause behavioral issues or psychological problems later in life. Depending on their age, children simply do not have the verbal communication skills to discuss the loss with caring adults, so another way to encourage expression is required.
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Why Art Therapy
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Art therapy does not rely on words, so it can be easier for a child to understand. It encourages creativity and self-expression. Often, children will feel more comfortable putting something into a picture than voicing it to caregivers.
Benefits
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Therapy through art can offer a range of benefits to the bereaved children involved, including learning coping strategies, sharing memories of the loved one, identifying and understanding grief and normalizing their feelings, letting them understand that they are not alone in their grief.
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Sample Activities
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Activities can include writing about the change in life since the (loss for older children), drawing or painting pictures of their grief, drawing the loved one and a special memory, or even creating a collage of the loved one or things that were important to them.
Safe Outlet
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After creating their therapy projects, children can be encouraged to discuss their work with a group of grieving children, which helps them to release the emotions of coping with the loss in a safer way than talking alone. It's much easier to get a child to talk about the picture they drew and what it means than to convey to a therapist or even parent that they are "sad" or "lonely" for the one they've lost.
Where to Find Help
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So where can you find art therapy for your child? Most cities have a grief center, often with programs geared specifically toward children. Many hospitals have support groups that may have art programs for children. You could also check with local therapists or mental health agencies for what programs are available in your area.
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