We work in primary schools because we know that children find it easier to feel safe enough to explore their feelings and experiences in a familiar environment. It also helps us to support them, if we are working together with the people who are important to them and who they will see every day - their teachers, other school staff and their parents/ carers.
In schools, we are able to offer a wide range of art workshops, on-going art therapy groups and individual sessions:
Art Workshops
Art workshops allow children to explore a particular theme or issue. These can last between one and three days and at the end, an exhibition is put up of the work that was created by each of the children. Art workshops can be very helpful for classes in which bullying has occurred, for groups of children who struggle to work with their peers, or for children who may be struggling with feelings of low self-esteem.
Group Therapy
Art, play and drama therapy groups give children an opportunity to work together for between six and twelve weeks, using a structured framework that encourages them to explore their own thoughts and feelings and to reflect upon their actions. The groups aim to develop emotional literacy, raise self-esteem and to support children to value differences, by becoming more aware of the thoughts and beliefs that underly some of their behaviours.
Individual Therapy
We offer individual weekly therapy sessions using a range of creative processes to help a child to express themselves, in their own way. Children need not have previous experience or skill in art, we are not primarily concerned with making an aesthetic or diagnostic assessment of the child's art-making. The overall aim is to enable a child to effect change and growth on a personal level through the use of art materials in a safe and facilitating environment. The relationship between the therapist and the child is of central importance, but art therapy differs from other psychological therapies in that it is a three way process between the child, the therapist and the image or artefact. Thus it offers the opportunity for symbolic expression and communication through metaphor, which can be particularly helpful to children who find it hard or be worried about expressing their thoughts and feelings in words.
Training, Supervision and Consultation
We can also provide INSET, training and workshops for school staff, if they think that it would be beneficial to set aside some time to learn more about mental health and the emotional/ behavioural dififculties that may be acted out in the classroom, when children are feeling unsettled and distressed.
We can offer supervision for other professionals (such as Teaching Assistants, Learning Support Assistants, Learning Mentors and Teaching Staff) and consultation sessions for Head teachers.
