By Shannon Halligan, LCAT, Art Therapist
Art Therapy can be an excellent way to help children/teens who are experiencing a divorce in their family.
A divorce affects the whole family. Big changes are inevitable for all members involved. Parents are often struggling with coping with the big changes themselves; and also concerned about how to help their children cope with the emotions and changes that are happening.
Art Therapy uses the creative process of art making as a form of therapy. Traditional verbal therapy may be difficult for children as they can struggle to understand and express their emotions, thoughts and ideas. Children often lack the ability to verbally process what they are feeling; lacking the words and emotional identification skills to express hurt, jealousy, disappointment, etc. Art Therapy can offer a non-threatening way to express their feelings about a divorce.
“A divorce effects the whole family.”
It is important to remember that children do not process emotions in the same way adults do. Adults often talk about their emotions, whereas children struggle to express these feelings clearly. For a child, anger, sadness and disappointment can come out in the form of behavioral problems. It is not uncommon for children experiencing a divorce to have behavioral issues that they did not exhibit previously.
Here are some examples of how art therapy can be used to help a child who is experiencing divorce:
Art can be used to create a transitional object (small pillow, sewn object/animal, tote bag, sketchbook/journal, etc) that can go with the child between homes and it can provide comfort to the child during the changes.
Incorporating photos of loved ones into art projects can help a child process their feelings about family members, keep them close during absences, etc.
A visual calendar can be created to help a child feel informed and in control of knowing what to expect and when.
Puppet making to tell the story of family members, discuss the changes of the divorce, explore difficult feelings such as anger, sadness, loss, etc.
I encourage caregivers to remember that divorce is a form of loss. Helping children process their feelings and thoughts through art will help them adjust to the changes and develop coping skills that can be utilized when facing many stressors in life.
About the Author:
Shannon Halligan, MA, LCAT, received her M.S. in Art Therapy from Nazareth College of Rochester. She holds a New York state license in Creative Arts Therapy (L-CAT) and has been in private practice for many years, offering individual and group sessions. She specializes in treating clients of all ages with Autism, developmental delays and learning disabilities. along with working with clients who want to understand themselves better, find creative problem solving techniques, and use art as an outlet and coping tool.
