THERAPEUTIC ART CLASSES

SELF-awareness THROUGH ART= growth

Children aren’t able to identify feelings of stress and anxiety as easily as adults, and issues may appear in a variety of ways. They may not connect their stomachaches, headaches, restlessness or irritability as being symptoms of anxiety. They may develop separation issues, act out in school or close themselves off to their family and friends.
Since feelings can be confusing and overwhelming, therapeutic art can help your children to become more aware of their feelings and find alternative coping skills for whatever challenges are presented in their lives.

About me:  Although I am not an art therapist, I am a certified art teacher and have worked in two school as an art teacher/art therapist, with kids with special needs.  I have also worked with countless kids and adults who have explored their inner feelings through art and have found peace, resolution, freedom from fears and self confidence through my therapeutic approach.  Art has also helped me throughout the years to express my strong feelings and fears and I am fully aware of the enormous potential of  the many therapeutic benefits.

BENEFITS AND POSSIBILITIES FOR GROWTH:
Your child will:
-Discover an outlet for self-expression
-Feel more comfortable sharing his/her feelings
-Become aware of negative behaviors
-Find alternative methods for coping
-Discover positive outlets for expression
-Become more self-aware
-Become more confident, secure and independent
-Have fun creating and learning new techniques
WHAT IS THE PROCESS:
Therapeutic art sessions generally begin with a prompt, story or theme, which initiates exploration both through the art process and discussion which gently leads to self-awareness and understanding.
-Guided imagery and visual storytelling is a way to connect to these feelings and release them.
-Prompts: Children will be given a prompt i.e.: favorite food, self-portrait, or choose an interest as a theme for an art project. As the art is being created, discussion develops related to feelings, emotions and thoughts derived from artwork. Awareness develops through analyzing, discussion and observation.
-Child Guided Lesson: The child gains self-empowerment and feels a sense of control by guiding the art experience while the facilitator follows. Trust and exploration lead to discussion regarding feelings, emotions while engaging in artwork. Understanding of self develops through a trusting relationship.
What is Guided Imagery?
Kids are natural storytellers, artists and have active imaginations.
Guided imagery is a descriptive calm, age appropriate story, engaging all of the senses to the specific area of need, addressing the need, and finding solutions and resolutions along the way.
The story is usually open-ended which leads to the art experience, and discussion, resulting in awareness, discovery and solutions.

Although we do our best to have a well-balanced life, stress creeps into our daily lives. The world has become more complicated and scary and it’s not surprising that this and family stress can impact kids and draw out anxiety, fear, anger and worry.
Therapeutic art is a safe outlet for kids to express these feelings.
You can expect to see an increase in your child’s self-confidence, independence and coping skills. Your child’s imagination will be stimulated, while he/she finds positive outlets for feelings, culminating in peace and calm.

CLASS FEES, DATES AND TIMES:

You may register any time for therapeutic art lessons.  Please contact me if you have questions and we will schedule a day and time, which works for you and your child.
Fee: $65.00 for one hour sessions.

Please contact me with questions:  sandradawson@comcast.net

Testimonial:

My children have been going to Sandra’s art programs for years, and for a good reason… they love it! They get to freely express their ideas through art without judgement or limitations. As parents, we noticed our children’s confidence and creativity grew with each session. So when our daughter started to have a transitioning issues in Kindergarten, we asked for Sandra’s help. Sandra offered a one on one therapy session (through art) that helped our 5 year old explore and verbalize what she was feeling… something that we otherwise couldn’t quite figure out. Sandra helped our daughter express her feelings and address her fears in a safe, nurturing, and paced environment. Our daughter and Sandra “worked” on these issues each week while my daughter simply thought she was making art. In just a few short weeks, our daughter’s teacher commented that she had been making leaps and bounds in the classroom and wanted to know what was different. When we told her that our daughter had been working with an artist to overcome her fears, the teacher told us “don’t stop” because it was working. Sandra not only helped our daughter address her school-life, but also our her relationship to her siblings, her friends, and even how to overcome a fear of water that had been preventing her from enjoying the pool for years. As a family, we cannot recommend Sandra’s classes enough. She has impacted our lives in so many positive ways!