Art therapy for kids has never been more important. Our offspring are playing Candy Crush in the pram on their way to a play date… Whilst their slightly older siblings are snapchatting what they had for breakfast that morning on their own mobile phones. We are bringing up a generation of children to be online all the time. But do they know how and when to switch-off? In some cases it appears they don’t, with research suggesting that our children are more stressed out than any previous generation. This could be down to our competition centric society or a lack of time given to kids to relax and just be children.
If your children are suffering from anxiety, insomnia or general apathy regarding their school or personal life, art therapy can provide them with the tools they need to bring about positive change. Sessions will be tailored to your child’s requirements and can be twinned with simple meditation and breathing exercises.
Are you qualified to work with children?
Yes absolutely! All of our teaching team have completed nationally recognised yoga qualifications, which include in their syllabuses the study of physiology. This means that whether being taught in person or online, your students and their parents can be sure that they are in safe hands. Further more, all of our team have also completed standard DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks, previously known as CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) checks.
Do kids need to meditate in order to be mindful?
Experience tells us that some people listen more intently than others, or appreciate the simple things in life more readily. However, just because you think you know how to do something, it does not mean you stop learning. The best sportsmen in the world prepare before their competitions, world renowned actors turn up for rehearsals even though they know how to memorise their lines. Indeed if you truly do believe that you are living mindfully, you would see the value in taking time out to meditate.
We are interested, how do we get started?
All new art therapy clients receive an induction session that considers their overall wellbeing from both a physical and psychological perspective. We will also discuss your reasons for becoming interested in art therapy, what you, and your child are looking to get out of it, as well as your overall expectations. You and your kid(s) are free to engage as deeply as you wish with the practice, some clients just like to attend a weekly session, whilst others appreciate the extra materials we can offer.
Client development is regularly tracked and a portion of time is allocated to reflect on what is working and what is not. These adjustments are made and the changes will be evaluated at a later date.
Where does art therapy come from? What is its history?
Professional art therapy began in the mid-20th century, arising independently in English-speaking and European countries. The first art therapists who published accounts of their work acknowledged the influence of aesthetics, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, rehabilitation, early childhood education, and art education, to varying degrees, on their practices.
Adrian Hill, the British artist coined the term art therapy in 1942. Hill, who was recovering from tuberculosis, discovered the therapeutic benefits of drawing and painting whilst recovering. He wrote that the value of art therapy was derived from it “completely engrossing the mind (as well as the fingers)…releasing the creative energy of the frequently inhibited patient”, which enabled the patient to “build up a strong defence against his misfortunes”. Hill suggested artistic work to his fellow patients. This began his art therapy work, which was documented in 1945 in his book, Art Versus Illness.
Edward Adamson (also an artist), joined Adrian Hill to extend Hill’s work to the British long stay mental hospitals. Other early supporters of art therapy in Britain included Diana Raphael-Halliday and Rita Simon. The British Association of Art Therapists was founded in 1964.
U.S. art therapy pioneers Margaret Naumburg and Edith Kramer began practicing at around the same time as Hill. Naumburg, an educator, stated that free art expression “becomes a form of symbolic speech which…leads to an increase in verbalization in the course of therapy”. The American Art Therapy Association began its work in 1969.
Art therapy has been used to help people around the world deal with a variety of traumatic experiences, including disaster relief and crisis intervention. Art therapists have worked with children, adolescents and adults after natural and man made disasters, encouraging them to make art in response to their experiences.
