Art Therapy
Our art therapist is a registered and board-certified art therapist. She provides individual and group art therapy services to patients on the Hematology/Oncology & BMT inpatient unit and outpatient clinics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Our art therapist is part of a multidisciplinary, psychosocial team that works together to help patients and their families cope with hospitalization and provide support throughout the treatment journey.
How Art Therapy Can Help
Art therapy can benefit patients and families by:
- Supporting positive coping with hospitalization
- Fostering self-expression and communication
- Offering an outlet for exploring and processing feelings around medical challenges and the hospital experience
- Promoting a sense of comfort and normalization
- Fostering positive self-esteem
- Affording opportunities for choice making and control
- Helping reduce stress and anxiety
- Supporting memory making and legacy building
- Providing experiences that promote positive and meaningful interactions between patients, families and caregivers
- Offering the opportunity to have fun and enjoy the process of art making
Art Therapy Sessions
Our art therapist offers a variety of art materials that are age appropriate for patients to use. During art therapy sessions, our art therapist provides support to patients as they engage in the creative process of art making, encouraging patient exploration and choice of art materials and art project. Patients and their families do not need to have any prior art experience or knowledge of art to participate in, or benefit from, art therapy services. Rather, the focus of art therapy services is on helping patients and their families find and experience pleasure and meaning in the creative process and resulting artwork, and fostering a sense of healing and personal well-being.