Group Art Therapy Interventions & Strategies: Working with Children Exposed to Domestic Violence

Group Art Therapy Interventions & Strategies: Working with Children Exposed to Domestic Violence
Gretchen Miller, MA, ATR-BC
Registered Board Certified Art Therapist
Certified Trauma Consultant
The Domestic Violence Center
Cleveland, OH

About Art Therapy
Art Therapy is the deliberate use of art-making to address psychological and emotional needs. Art therapy uses art media and the creative process to help in areas such as, but not limited to: fostering self-expression, create coping skills, manage stress, and strengthen sense of self. Art therapy has provided mental health treatment for clients who have experienced trauma, grief & loss, depression, chronic illness, substance abuse, and more.
~ The Art Therapy Alliance

Using Art in Trauma Intervention
Creative process and art-making can provide opportunities for decision-making, problem-solving, and help build resiliency
Respond to art expressions with an accepting, calming, validating, and normalizing approach
Encourage and provide creative choices for open, self-expression
Create a safe, inviting, and structured environment for making art free of judgment, interpretation, and asking too many questions
Support opportunities for storytelling through interest of art created
Malchiodi, C. (2005). Using Art in Trauma Recovery with Children Monograph.

Considerations when working with children from homes of domestic violence:
Stabilization
Emotion expression and validation
Coping with feelings and crisis
Reducing anxiety, fear, tension
Adjustment to shelter life, family changes
Safety planning
Short term intervention & prevention
Miller, G. (2008). Bruce Perry’s Impact: Considerations for Art Therapy & Children From Violent Homes

Considerations when working with children from homes of domestic violence:
Appropriate developmental level
Provide a sense of safety & predictability
Repetition
Relational enrichment
Experience of reward
Perry, B. (2006). Applying Principles of Neurodevelopment to Clinical Work with Maltreated and Traumatized Children

Support Groups for Youth
Create a group structure designed to foster:
Consistency
Predictability
Safety and ability to make choices
Relational interaction
Appropriate role modeling

Sensory based group art interventions that explore:
Acceptance and trust
Validation of experience
Educate & normalize trauma reactions
Promoting emotional expression
Coping and stress management

Trust & Acceptance
Art Interventions that focus on:
Getting to Know the Child
Building Rapport & Relationship
Safety
Promoting Self-Worth & Self Esteem
Celebrating Self
Building Resiliency

A Favorite Kind of Day Drawing
Malchiodi, C. (1997)

Safety Box

Validation of Experience
Promoting Emotional Expression
Honors experience
Provides opportunity for storytelling

Fighting

Coming to Shelter / Worried about Leaving Pet Behind

Shelter Adjustment / Coming to Shelter

Normalizing Trauma Reactions
Education and Validation
Sensory-Based Activities
Identifying Ways to Cope w/ reactions
Animals, creatures, and other characters that can provide examples through a non-threatening image or story

Sherman-- A Terrible Thing Happened Story

Bart & the Sad, Bad, and Scary Thing that Happened—Brave Bart Story

Trauma Stress Thoughts

Promoting Emotional Expression
Physical response to trauma reactions or experience
Permission and acceptance of emotions related to fear, worry, anger, sadness, guilt, humiliation

Emotional X-Ray: Scared

Emotional X-Ray: Helpless

Emotional X-Ray: Tension

Feelings Mask

Coping and Stress Management
Interventions that focus on:
Body’s response to stress/relaxation
Relaxation techniques
Breath work
Healthy ways to calm, soothe, feel safe

References
Malchiodi, C. (2008). Creative Interventions with Traumatized Children. New York: Guildford Press.
Malchiodi, C. (2005). Using Art in Trauma Recovery with Children. Monograph published by the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children.
Malchiodi, C. (1997). Breaking the Silence: Art Therapy with Children from Violent Homes . New York: Brunner Mazel.
Miller, G. (2008). Bruce Perry’s Impact: Considerations for Art Therapy & Children From Violent Homes on Slideshare
Perry, B. (2006). Applying Principles of Neurodevelopment to Clinical Work with Maltreated and Traumatized Children in Working with Traumatized Youth in Child Welfare edited by Nancy Boyd. New York: Guilford Press.

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Group Art Therapy Interventions & Strategies: Working with Children Exposed to Domestic Violence

by gretchen miller on Jan 22, 2010

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