Art Therapy with Grieving Children and Adolescents

Art Therapy with Grieving Children and Adolescents Gretchen Miller, MA, ATR-BC

Art Therapy Overview  Individual art therapy sessions at agencies, schools, and in home for children & teens who experienced the death of a loved one through illness, accident, suicide, or violence.  Children and teen grief support groups and workshops through art therapy

Art Therapy Goals Art interventions that address:  Emotional expression of grief  Normalize and validate grief reactions  Strengthen coping  Death education  Memories and Memorializing

Adolescent Collage Death of Grandmother

Memory Collage Death of Father/ Illness

Adolescent Collage Death of Mother

Adolescent Collage Death of Father

Death of a Parent  Shatters sense of security & stability  Worries about financial and physical security  Feels different, isolated, alone  Concerns/worries about the surviving parent  Strong reactions triggered by rites of passage, special days and events  If relationship was conflicted or abusive, grieving can become very complicated

Grief Paper I like to write. Funny how “I can’t wait to get there” occasionally turns into “I can’t wait to get home.” My mind sometimes feels like rocks with a I get unhappy on the sunniest days sometimes blue sky even on the cloudiest days Grief Collage Murder of Mother

My Grief is like… Murder of Mother

Grief Reactions Common Among Homicide Survivors  Feelings of vulnerability, helplessness, threat  Feelings of being out of control  Search for understanding  Need to find who is to blame, seek punishment  Intense feelings of anger, fear, powerlessness  PTSD symptoms: sleep disturbances, anger outbursts, hyper vigilance, startle response, difficulty concentrating, feelings of terror  Need to regain control and order

Teen Support Group Suicide Survivor - Grief Reactions

Teen Support Group Suicide Survivor- Feelings Mask

Inside/Outside Feelings Mask Death of Father/Suicide

Grief Reactions Common Among Suicide Survivors  Feelings of rejection & abandonment  Feelings of shame, humiliation, dishonor  Decrease in self-esteem, self worth due to feelings of inadequacy and failure  Intense anger or rage  Need to place blame  Intense guilt because of perceived preventability  Fear of genetic predisposition towards suicide  Search for understanding- Why?

Children’s Support Group Promoting Feeling Expression

Children’s Support Group Common Grief Reactions Grief Monsters

Children’s Support Group Coping with Feelings & Grief Reactions

Children’s Support Group Funerals, Memorials, & Spirituality

Children’s Support Group Candle Memorial Ceremony

Children’s Support Group Art Display

Memory Poem & Photo Frame

Memory Drawing- Sunset with Dad

Family Art Therapy Workshop: Stepping Stones

Art Therapy Workshop: Memory Rocks

Gretchen Miller, MA, ATR-BC Registered Board Certified Art Therapist Certified Trauma Consultant gretchenmiller@cox.net www.gretchen-miller.com

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Art Therapy with Grieving Children and Adolescents

by gretchen miller on Jan 03, 2010

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Art Therapy with Grieving Children and Adolescents — Presentation Transcript