Art as therapy
Teacher and arts-based therapist Alice Harper helps children use creativity to process difficult events. She offers some advice for encouraging our girls to express their feelings through art
Art as therapy
Teacher and arts-based therapist Alice Harper helps children use creativity to process difficult events. She offers some advice for encouraging our girls to express their feelings through art
Children and young people are no less affected than adults by the changes coronavirus has brought to our lives. A recent survey by the Children’s Commissioner showed that a third of 7 to 16-year-olds placed the current crisis in the top three things they worried about. This isn’t surprising considering that most will have experienced huge changes to their daily routines and social contact, as well as ongoing exposure to worrying conversations and news about the virus. Some will also have had to cope with the serious illness or loss of someone close. Every opportunity we give children to reflect on their feelings is important. Art is a wonderful tool for this. Stress and trauma are encoded in our brains in an emotional, sensory and non-verbal way. Creativity helps because it engages the same parts of the brain, allowing us to express feelings or ideas that might be difficult to put into words. Making art is also a tactile, physical experience, which has been shown to reduce stress and increase serotonin – a chemical in the body linked to happiness and wellbeing. These suggestions can be used both for virtual and in-person meetings, once they’re happening again. Feel free to share them with your unit helpers and parents/carers – the more conversations we have about how to support them, the more girls and young women will benefit.
Let go of expectation
Remember that you’re simply providing an opportunity for the girls to feel safe and be creative – your own level of artistic talent doesn’t matter! Nor do you need to set an elaborate activity that will produce something visually impressive. In fact, the more open-ended the activity, the more scope it allows for self-expression. Allowing adaptations and the freedom to go off-piste is absolutely fine.
Getting started
If possible, girls should have a choice of materials – for virtual sessions, ask if parents/carers could have a rummage in their cupboards beforehand. Big sheets of paper on the floor, lumps of clay or collage paper are great, but even pens and printer paper will do. You can also have a look for things you might have lying around the house, like buttons, recyclable bottle lids or empty toilet rolls. For virtual sessions, remember that everyone’s in a different environment with access to different kinds of space and materials at home. Start off by introducing the idea that being creative is something that can help our minds and bodies to relax, and discuss why it’s especially important right now to find ways to express our feelings. You can then invite the girls to choose their materials and get started. It’s up to you whether you leave the task open-ended or provide a simple starting point (which can be adapted according to the age and needs of your unit). For example:
- For Rainbows: imagine you’re a bird/alien/etc looking down on your life over the past few months. What would it look like?
- For Brownies: imagine you haven’t seen your best friend in a long time. Can you make something that shows them what’s changed and how you’ve been feeling since you last met?
- For Guides and Rangers: close your eyes and picture a museum. As you walk around you notice that the exhibition is about the past few months: all the things that have changed, all the things that have been hard and all the things that have been great. See if you can use your materials to create what you see.
Encourage the girls to let go of expectations or concerns about how the finished piece will look. Show them what you’ve created and explain your thinking, as this will help them to articulate their ideas. For example, ‘I drew a smudgy, tangly ball, because I wanted to show that I felt really mixed up and confused in the first few weeks of lockdown.’
“Making art is a tactile, physical experience, which has been shown to reduce stress and increase serotonin”
“If possible, girls should have a choice of materials. Big sheets of paper on the floor, lumps of clay or collage paper are great, but even pens and printer paper will do”
Allow time for reflection
Using art to explore feelings is a powerful process and can evoke many different responses. Some girls will use it to help them put their feelings into words, and for some making the image will be enough. Consider setting time for pairs or small groups to break out and talk about what they’ve created. You could also offer the opportunity to share with the group, or with someone at home later. This might be the first chance some of the girls have had to express something that they’ve been holding on to for a long time. Do keep in mind that your role is not to make it better, to offer advice or to provide any kind of therapy. It’s the connection that counts more than anything else. All you need to do is let them know they’ve been heard, and that you empathise with and are accepting of their experience. If any of the girls use their art or words to say something that concerns you, make sure you follow Girlguiding’s safeguarding procedure.
Tools for life
‘Arts and crafts’ is sometimes viewed as an old-fashioned or indulgent use of time. But there’s a reason so many people are turning to contemplative, arts-based activities in lockdown. In my personal and professional experience, opportunities for creativity and self-expression are vital, especially for children and young people who are still learning to make sense of their emotions and share them with others. Being supported to do this in the midst or the aftermath of a crisis helps to pave the way for what’s known as ‘post-traumatic growth’ and provides girls with a tool they can use for the rest of their lives. Here are my top picks from Adventures at home, which is a good place to start exploring the benefits of art as therapy: For Rainbows: Colour my mood is a great introduction to naming and reflecting on feelings, helping to develop the basics of emotional literacy. For Brownies: Pop up cards is a creative and engaging activity that promotes connection with others. For Guides: Bowled over is a tactile, absorbing task. I love the energising teamwork element. For Rangers: I think Printing pro is a calming, focusing activity, with the potential of something beautiful to show for it at the end.
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