Art Therapist Victoria Goldsmith during a session with a patient
A visit to the hospital can be an unnerving and uncertain thing, even for an adult! It’s not clear what will happen while you’re there, and unfamiliar equipment and people are everywhere.
Imagine how much scarier this can be for a child. And think about the teenager who is already experiencing changes in their young life and who is now faced with an illness or a lengthy treatment. They may be having a really difficult time expressing their feelings.
These experiences are why programs like art therapy and music therapy can be so important. Provided at Children’s Hospital of Michigan under the umbrella program of Child Life Services, art and music therapy are helpful to patients in multiple ways.
For example, for young patients who must receive dialysis treatments several times a week, a visit from the art therapist with a new creative project can help pass the several hours they spend in the unit each time they are there.
Beyond distracting them from the things happening around them, creative therapies can help kids express themselves and process their feelings in a productive way. Self-expression can be very therapeutic, helping kids develop their own personal story about what they’re experiencing. This is especially helpful for patients undergoing treatments, such as a bone marrow transplant, that require long periods away from siblings, classmates, and other kids.
Ultimately, the creative process itself can be calming and relaxing through regulating focus and breathing. Singing and playing a musical instrument encourages not only self-expression, but also helps to disseminate physical energy.
In a hospital and clinic setting, doctors, nurses, and medical staff move a patient toward healing through medical intervention. And every patient’s situation is different. When integrated with creative therapies that are delivered by experienced art and music therapists, the benefit of the medical treatment can be magnified, and even unexpected outcomes achieved.
All of this comes together and results in a healthier and happier child, and every time that happens, we realize we’re on the right path.
Your future gift to The Children's Foundation helps us provide art and music therapy and other programs for our young patients. Contact George Westerman at (313) 745-9344 or GWesterman@YourChildrensFoundation.org to learn about your giving options.