Art Therapy

As children and young people are naturally creative, expressing themselves through art can be less confronting than using their words to articulate their thoughts. Using a symbolic language, art therapy empowers young people by tapping into their personal strengths and abilities to face challenging issues that the cancer journey often entails.

Creating artwork can help to ease the stress and anxiety that may accompany this diagnosis. In addition to self-expression, there are a wide variety of benefits that art therapy provides such as enhancing a sense of self and developing healthy coping strategies. Participants in art therapy have also noted that it is an effective technique for pain management.

While art therapy is practiced widely in hospitals, patients who have left hospital or who are no longer undergoing treatment do not have access to this opportunity to heal, create and socialise. Siblings of children undergoing treatment for cancer are also unable to participate in art therapy programs, despite the need for such support services and emotional outlets.

Challenge maintains a strong commitment to offering patients and their siblings access to both individual and group art therapy sessions. Each program is hosted by our registered and experienced art therapist, Caryn, who can tailor the session to each individual, depending on circumstance, stage of diagnosis, and treatment.

Caryn has also put together an Art Therapy Video Series, comprising of three components. The first component is tailored for children; the second is tailored for adolescents; and the third is tailored for parents. If you would like to access one or more of these components, please click the button below.

To find out more or register your interest in art therapy, please contact us below.