CLAY, GLUE, AND THE PSYCHE
The Value of Art Therapy for Children

By Kerry Nicholson Feiman

Children are collectors by nature - a bit of candy wrapper in their pocket, a roly-poly bug snug in their palm, a sparkling sequin found on the floor. It isn’t just material remnants that children collect, but also things seen, heard, imagined, and interpreted. They use these pieces they collect throughout their lives to create something amazing - themselves.

One way of helping children in their creation of self is through the creation of art. Children will construct themselves out of emotions, experiences, thoughts, and then metaphorically create a reflection of themselves through their art. This can be done casually in everyday art projects or in a more professional manner through art therapy.

The American Art Therapy Association describes art therapy as a bringing together of psychotherapy and the healing qualities of the creative process - a therapy whereby feelings can be explored both verbally and non-verbally.

To learn about art therapy for children, I spoke with Licensed Professional Counselor and Nationally Board Certified Art Therapist, Nora Swan Foster. Swan Foster is a senior faculty member in the graduate art therapy program at Naropa University as well as in private practice in the Boulder area.

How do we know which children will be responsive to art therapy? After being referred by a teacher, parent, or doctor, Swan Foster says, "Art therapy is the right approach if the child is interested and willing to try. It is great for kids who are not verbally oriented, but it is also great for kids who are overly intellectual and need some balance in their emotional development that comes by working in a metaphorical context."

Art seems a natural medium for children to work through problems. Although art therapy works with children who have a wide variety of issues, some more typical issues it may address are grief and loss, divorce, abuse histories, conduct and social problems, and depression. Talented and gifted children can also benefit from art therapy, using it to balance their intellectual level with the emotions and social issues they may be encountering.

How does the creation of art become a therapeutic device, and how does it work? "Art therapy works because it’s a form of displacement - it’s a way to work on something that’s separate from ourselves - so it’s easier to see. The art product holds the parts of us that we may not like, may hide from, or not see. The expression of feelings and experiences can be expelled and then held by the materials or the boundaries of the paper. Working in the metaphor is important...if we address things too directly, then the communication stops, the flow is interrupted." Swan Foster continues, "The art is part of the child, hidden parts that have suddenly become visible. Even if a child hates the work, the therapist may hold and keep it because it has therapeutic value. The therapist is saying, ‘This part of you is important too, and I will hold it for you until you are ready to hold it yourself.’"

An art therapy session is approached in a variety of ways depending upon the situation. The environment is always one where the child can be messy and provides a variety of materials such as paint, clay, and found objects to choose. The therapist may choose the media that is worked on when a specific goal needs to be accomplished. Other times a session may include working-out a plan between child, parent, and therapist. They may choose a specific problem to be worked on, or may need to work with a particular material.

Creating an art space at home is strongly encouraged. Create an area for your child where getting messy is okay, but where they also understand the importance of picking-up their space when done, thereby treating their materials with respect. Supply a range of materials, including found objects: corks, plastic container caps, ribbon, wrapping paper scraps, styrofoam packing peanuts, etc.

The importance of having the freedom to create at home is expressed by Swan Foster. "We all need time to process something hard that happens and for a child to go and draw a picture about how they are feeling, what they would like to say or do to someone who was bullying them, or a teacher who may not have listened to them because she was too busy is incredibly useful...Kids can also use art to self-soothe and relax after a demanding day, rather than TV. Younger kids might use art for emotional or physical discharging."

To learn more about art therapy, you can visit the American Art Therapy Association web site at http://arttherapy.org, the Art Therapy Association of Colorado, http://www.arttherapy-co.org, or you can contact the Naropa University graduate art therapy department. You can contact art psychotherapist Nora Swan Foster at (303)595-1006, 1137 Pearl Street, Suite 205, Boulder, CO 80302.

Kerry Nicholson Feiman is a writer and mother of two girls. She has written for Walt Disney Studios as well as numerous local magazines. Please feel free to contact her at kfeiman@yahoo.com.