What is it? Verbalizing thoughts and feelings can be difficult, especially during stressful life events. Art therapy is based on the belief that the creative process involved in creating art is healing and life-enhancing. No artistic skill is necessary to benefit from art therapy.
Who is it for? While art therapy is used with people of all ages in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and hospice centers, this form of therapy is one of the main counseling methods Cornerstone of Hope uses in working with children and teens.
How does it work? An art therapist will guide you through the creative process in a safe and comfortable atmosphere. The artwork can also be a stepping stone to verbal communication about feelings or events. The simple use of color or line can communicate complex feelings or experiences without words.
What is the Art Therapist’s role? Cornerstone’s art therapists are professionals trained in both art and psychology and hold a Master’s Degree in Art Therapy. Art therapists are skilled in the application of a variety of art mediums (drawing, painting, clay, collage, etc.) and can also conduct assessments, research, and provide consultations to allied professionals.
How does it help? Cornerstone of Hope uses art therapy to assist in moving through the grieving process because it allows people to do the following:
- Get in touch with, accept, and express feelings;
- Foster positive coping behaviors;
- Gain insight and understanding;
- Reduce anxiety and provide emotional release; and
- Participate in memorial activities that express the significance of the life of the deceased.
Why Art Therapy is Especially Helpful to Grieving Children/Teens: Children and teens experience the same range of emotions as adults, but because they are still developing cognitively and emotionally, they are not able to grieve in the same way. Young children’s coping skills are limited and for this reason they need to grieve intermittently, or in small spurts, for a longer period of time. Due to their developmental limitations, children need age-appropriate education about grief and assistance in identifying their complex feelings. Cornerstone’s therapists use art and other creative therapies to help children of all ages understand ways in which grief affects them and how to manage it. It is also important for the parent(s)/caregiver(s) to understand how their child/teen experiences grief so that they can better support them through the process. Cornerstone’s therapists work with the parent(s)/caregiver(s) to help to help them understand what their children are experiencing and establish ways they can support their children through this process.
Fees: Cornerstone asks those seeking individual counseling to pay a one time fee for unlimited individual counseling services (broken down into per session fee, if preferable) on a sliding fee scale, however, no individual/family is turned away because of an inability to pay.
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