Art As Communication/Expressing Feelings

[Guest guest]

Dear Kathy-

My heart went out to you as I read the sad circumstances of your dear

husband. What a traumatizing time for all your family and then to

find the strength and ways to be deal with this hardship. Know that

your family has been in our thoughts and prayers wishing for your

husband's recovery. As with anyone, it would not be easy to explain to

a child of a parent's illness or injury. It is so often we too can

feel so powerless in troubled times and do not have an explanation

ourselves as to why terrible things have happened. You are right to be

open and listen to your children's worries. As with any child,

regardless of any age, or lack of words, their emotions need to be

recognized and brought about in a comforting way. Below I hope these

resources can help your twins and family find meaningful ways to cope

and to communicate during this difficult time. Some of these resources

contribute to children of all ages. In regards, I wanted to share

these suggestions with the group, being that there is a discussion of

concern on expressing feelings for non-verbal children. Best to your

family and may you find some peace and comfort today. Please keep us

posted.

Mustafa

Mom to Khalid, Jadd and Danya

National Coalition of Arts Therapies Associations

http://www.ncata.com/

" The creative arts therapies include art therapy, dance/movement

therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, poetry therapy, and

psychodrama. These therapies use arts modalities and creative

processes during intentional intervention in therapeutic,

rehabilitative, community, or educational settings to foster health,

communication, and expression; promote the integration of physical,

emotional, cognitive, and social functioning; enhance self-awareness;

and facilitate change. Participation in all the creative arts

therapies provides people with special needs ways to express

themselves that may not be possible through more traditional

therapies. "

American Art Therapy Association

http://www.arttherapy.org/

" Art therapy is defined as a human service profession that uses art

media, images, the creative process, and patient/client responses to

the created products as reflections of an individual's development,

abilities, personality, interests, concerns, and conflicts. Art making

provided a means of expression for those who were often

uncommunicative that art therapy came to be developed as one of the

helping professions. "

Art Therapy In Canada

www.arttherapyincanada.ca

" Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that allows for emotional

expression and healing through nonverbal means. Children unlike most

adults, often cannot easily express themselves verbally. Adults, on

the other hand may use words to intellectualize and distance

themselves from their emotions. Art therapy enables the client to

break through these cumbersome barriers to self expression using

simple art materials. No previous art experience is necessary to

participate in art therapy. "

ART THERAPY ON THE NET

http://home.ican.net/~phansen/pages/ATlinks.html

The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA)

http://www.musictherapy.org/

Canada Music Therapy

http://www.musictherapy.ca/

" Music has been used since the beginning of time to communicate and

express feelings. Music therapy unites the fields of music and therapy

to provide a creative treatment and medium. More specifically, music

therapy combines music modalities with humanistic, psychodynamic,

behavioral, and biomedical approaches to help clients attain

therapeutic goals. These goals can be mental, physical, emotional,

social, and/or spiritual in nature. Problems or needs are addressed

both through the therapeutic relationship "

Expressive Therapy/Expressive Arts Therapy

http://www.expressivetherapy.com/

The American Dance Therapy Association, Inc.

http://www.adta.org/

" Dance is the most fundamental of the arts, involving direct

expression through the body. Thus, it is an intimate and powerful

medium for therapy. Based on the assumption that body and mind are

interrelated, dance/movement therapy is defined by the American Dance

Therapy Association as " the psychotherapeutic use of movement as a

process which furthers the emotional, cognitive and physical

integration of the individual. " Dance/movement therapy effects changes

in feelings, cognition, physical functioning, and behavior. "

Children's Websites and Activities:

Crayola Creativity Central

http://www.crayola.com/index.cfm?hasFlash=false

Crayola Canada

http://www.crayola.com/canada/index.cfm?hasFlash=false

ART... as Communication

" Early childhood educators recognize art as an intuitive symbolic

language, which young children use naturally to connect experience

with understanding. Continued art experiences strengthen children's

abilities to communicate ideas, feelings and knowledge through images.

Guided art experiences extend their abilities to interpret and assess

the message of visual images from the past and present. "

ART Capade

" There are three interactive activities offered on this site: Monitor

Museum, Imitate Masters, and Swapping Styles, that will interest young

viewers (grades K-3). "

http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/capades/

Sandplay Therapists of America

http://www.sandplayusa.org/

Sandplay with Children

http://www.sandplayusa.org/whatis.html

Play Therapy Info for Therapists and Parents

http://www.play-therapy.com/

Play Therapy Idea Page

http://www.play-therapy.com/ideas.htm

What Makes Strong Families?

http://www.play-therapy.com/ideas-5.htm

On Line Resources for Play Therapy

http://cep.jmu.edu/vaplay/ONLINERESOURCESFORPLAYTHERAPY.HTM

KidsCraftCorner.com

Kids Craft Corner offers craft instructions for kids of all ages!

http://www.kidscraftcorner.com/index.html

Kidskreate.com

" Arts and craft projects,easy crafts, kid's crafts,crafts,kids

crafts,arts and crafts,projects,painting,art recipes, playdough, fun

projects for kids of all ages. "

http://www.kidskreate.com/

ShapeBooks.com

http://www.shapebooks.com/

" Shapebooks.com is a place for teachers, parents, student and children

to create, learn and have fun writing! A shape book is a book shaped

like some image. The words of the book are inside of the shape. An

outline of an apple is a good example. Cut out the outline and the

book is the shape of an apple! Here is a sample. At Shapebooks.com you

can create these

fun books on-line. "

Chateau Meddybemps

http://www.meddybemps.com/

ArchKIDecture for Kids

http://www.archkidecture.org/

The @rt Room

http://www.arts.ufl.edu/art/rt_room/index.html

Global Children's Art Gallery

Recommended books

http://www.naturalchild.com/gallery/

Color Worm

" Learn all about color in this on-line children's book featuring

Colorworm. "

http://php.iupui.edu/~pellison/colorworm/home.html

Lost in Space

http://www.nga.gov.au/Lost/index.htm

Art Safari

http://www.moma.org/onlineprojects/artsafari/index.html

DEALING WITH FEELINGS PARENTS' GUIDE

All feelings are okay, it's what you do with them that counts

http://www.kidvision.org/feelings/guide.html

" Young children are learning how to manage stress, cope with

frustration, generate appropriate solutions to challenges and get

along with others. As parents and caregivers, you can promote

emotional well being by encouraging your children's healthy expression

of feelings. When children learn how to express themselves, they are

learning important skills for life. "

Tragic Times, Healing Words- Helping children cope.

http://www.sesameworkshop.org/parents/advice/article/0,4125,49560,00.h

tml

List of Books:

Theories: Expressive Therapies

http://www.mftsource.com/Theory.expressive.htm

Theories: Play Therapy

http://www.mftsource.com/Theory.play.htm

Theories: Sandtray/play Therapy

http://www.mftsource.com/Theory.sandplay.htm

>I initiated the

converstation

> by saying that we all miss Daddy and he is in the hosp with drs. and

nurses

> giving him med. etc.. They are used to him being in the hosp

because he has

> a kidney disease(on dialysis) and is in the hosp frequently, but we

can go

> and visit him and they talk to him on the phone.....but of course

this is

> different. They older two go to counseling at school and she has

given me

> good ideas like keeping pictures around and letting them talk into a

tape

> recorder and letting Daddy hear them, etc...but I can't read their

> minds...I've said that I am not going anywhere as my older ones

have gotten

> me alone and asked questions about heaven and who would take care of

them if

> I die, etc.....Besides the fact that the twins are only three (and I

feel

> intelligent...LOL) should I expect them to try and communicate their

> feelings...They are whiny and when in trouble and need that time out

they

> call for " daddy " .The longer I am writing the less this makes

sense.....I hope

> someone understands this....thank you for reading this..and no the

twins are

> not in counseling....but it would have to be a counselor that deals

with

> non-speaking kids...art therapy???? The teachers say they are doing

great in

> school....Kathy