Remembering this piece about using art in counseling...

Healing through Art

 

“Death is a mystery to all of us and sometimes words are not enough. Art making provides a way to symbolically express our feelings as we begin to heal,” says Joni Beckner.

Art has always been an important part of Joni’s life, a hobby as a child which grew into free-lance illustration and fine art work. Now as an art therapist at Hospice, her love for art is helping grieving children and teens learn to cope with loss.

 

Joni received her master’s degree in art therapy January 2008 and she has been a hospice grief counselor since 2000. “I always knew I wanted to pursue art therapy; what solidified that desire was my observation of just how valuable the medium is in working with children and teens. Art allows kids to work through emotions and experiences that they may not be able to access and express in traditional talk therapy,” she says.

 

Because children and teens deal with grief and loss very differently than adults, it is important for them to express themselves in ways that they feel comfortable. 

“The art piece or product provides some reflective distance from their feelings. It allows them to put their thoughts, feelings and emotions on paper or into a project. The focal point then becomes the art project instead of the individual, which makes them feel more at ease in a group, when talking with their peers,” says Joni.

 

“We use art making in many ways, at our grief support groups, in our one-on-one counseling sessions and also at our grief camps,” she says. Last year at teen camp each of the teens decorated a mask as a response to their feelings after losing a loved one.  The mask project provides kids with a creative and expressive outlet—a new way to respond to their grief.

 

“The exercise is used to demonstrate how sometimes we mask our emotions. The teens are able to represent themselves through their art and their peers are really interested in what they have to say. Working with the masks provides a way for the teens to demonstrate their self-identity and relate to each other’s experiences,” says Joni.