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Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that uses the process of art making to help improve an individual’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
Art therapy sessions are currently taking place up to four days a week at The Children’s Centre in Braddan and they provide a way for young people to express, process and share thoughts and feelings.
For a child who has experienced trauma, physical or mental illness, or loss, it can be difficult to articulate verbally; not having to do so helps a child to feel more in control, and more able to cope with the effects of their condition. Art therapy seeks to reduce anxiety, build resilience and encourage self-expression.
A range of art materials and techniques are used to encourage expressive communication during sessions, which are led by a qualified Art Therapist.
It’s often easier for children to express difficult feelings indirectly through artwork. Talking to children about their artwork and helping them interpret it can give art therapists the opening they need to get to the heart of an issue. To ensure we’re meeting needs appropriately, we use child-led goals (e.g. ‘worry less’) and child-friendly progress tracking (e.g. emojis and other visual prompts) to help young patients cope.
Our art therapists are qualified to postgraduate level. They’re registered with the Health and Care Professionals Council and the British Association of Art Therapists, and have PVG/DBS enhanced safeguarding certification.
In addition to art therapy sessions we also occasionally participate in community events to raise awareness such as our ‘art for wellbeing’ mural paintings at the Manx Museum and Philip Christian Centre in Peel.
Manx Children’s Art Therapy 2023 © All Rights Reserved. Company Number: 132857C – Isle of Man Charity Number: 1285
