Art Therapy With Children Experiencing Grief

This work seeks to answer the question of: “What is the effectiveness of art therapy with children that are experiencing grief?

Art therapy is a form of therapy that was first utilized by the mental health profession in the decade of the 1930s. Presently, art therapy is practiced in various hospitals, public and community agencies, clinics, wellness centers, educational institutions, business and private practices alike and involves the “application of a variety of art modalities including drawing, painting and clay sculpture.”(Natural Standard, 2008) This work will explore Art therapy for used with children who are experiencing grief and will examine the effectiveness of this type of therapy for children dealing with grief.

According to the work of Busch and Kimble (2001) “One out of every 20 American children under the age 15 loses one or both parents due to death. It is estimated that in a secondary school of 800 pupils, 24 children will experience the death of a family member. Death of a sibling profoundly affects children, and its repercussion can be with the child throughout life.” Children experience great difficulty in expressing their needs and feelings related to grief making it critically necessary that nurses, health care professionals and educators who work with grieving children understand how they can best support the child in coping with the grief in order that the child move on with their life rather than becoming disabled by their experience of grief.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The work of Malchiodi (2003) entitled: ‘Using Creative Activities as Intervention for Grieving Children’ published by the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children states that the National Association of School Psychologists (2001) states that the range of children’s grief reactions are as follows:

1) Emotional shock: Children may have a noticeable lack of affect, appear numb, lack reaction to events, or seem depersonalized. This behavior may serve as way to detach from the pain of moment or memories of loss;

2) Regressive behaviors: Children may suddenly need to sleep in a parent’s bed or may have difficulty separating from parents, family members, or caretakers, or may need to be held or rocked;

3) Repetitious behavior: Children may repeat play activities or themes or stories in their drawings. They also may repeatedly ask the same questions because a death has been hard to believe or accept; these questions, however, can help to identify any misinformation the child may have about the event;

4) Sudden mood swings or unusual behavior- Children may suddenly seem irritable, frustrated, fearful, or helpless, reflections of their internal feelings and their need to find control over a situation they have little control. (Malchiodi, 2003)

It is oftentimes assumed by adults that children “have little or no comprehension of death or dying and therefore believe that it is not important to talk with children about their feelings or beliefs about death.” (Malchiodi, 2003) However, children, depending on their ages and stages of development “understand death and loss in different ways.” (Malchiodi, 2003) Malchiodi states that the work of Webb (2002) differentiates the grief of children from that experienced by adults as follows:

Children’s immature cognitive development interferes with their understanding about the irreversibility, universality, and inevitability of death;

Children have a limited capacity to tolerate emotional pain;

Children have limited ability to verbalize their feelings;

Children are sensitive about ‘being different’ from their peers; and Children are able to express their feelings in play therapy. (Malchiodi, 2003)

Children’s understanding of death may be varied depending on the age and stage of the child’s development in that young children “fall into Piaget’s preoperational stage” which is a time when children “begin to represent their world with words, images, drawing and imaginative play activities.” (Malchiodi, 2003) During this stage of development, because children this age are egocentric, the child may believe that they somehow caused the death of the individual. Furthermore, magical thinking that occurs at this age may cause the child to believe that the individual might be brought back somehow as they do not realize that death is irreversible. Children in the age range from seven to eleven years of age “…fall into Piaget’s stage of concrete operations” which is a stage characterized by “reduced egocentricity and an improved capacity for reasoning.” (Malchiodi, 2003) During this stage of development “children develop organizational skills, learn to read, and to use language more proficiently, signaling their developing cognitive abilities.” (Malchiodi, 2003) During this stage children find difficulty in the irreversibility of death. Older children in the age range from eleven to fifteen years of age “are in Piaget’s formal operational stage and enter a more mature time of thought and understanding.” (Malchiodi, 2003) During this stage of development, “thinking becomes more logical” and children develop the capacity to “handle several variables at once, and they are capable of handling abstract ideas.” (Malchiodi, 2003)

Malchiodi (2003) states that “drawings have proven to be a good reflection of children’s abilities to conceptualize death in abstract terms.” Malchiodi states that the process of grief is difficult in “normal circumstances” however it is “often more intense if a sudden, traumatic death is experienced.” (Malchiodi, 2003) This is because death that is due to homicide or domestic violence is often “complicated by a legal inquiry, interactions with law enforcement, and sensational or even inaccurate coverage by law enforcement.” (Malchiodi, 2003) Ongoing contact with the different agencies and investigators tends to “deepen the sorrow, confusion and suffering of survivors, particularly children who may be trying to make sense of what has happened.

Malchiodi states that drawing has been found in research studies to be “…particularly effective with those children who can make recognizable drawing of people, animals, houses, tree and other aspects of their environment.” (2003) Furthermore, it is believed that drawing “may also be useful with younger children who still make scribbles, but can tell stories about their creations. The process of drawing provides a catalyst for discussion and an opportunity for trauma specialists to support and guide self-expression.” (Malchiodi, 2003) the drawings of children literally illustrates.”..their fears, adaptive coping skills, and beliefs about death and dying. They offer an avenue of information” which can assist in the formulation of interventions for the future and for recognition of grief responses that are more serious in nature. Malchiodi (2003) states that activities that are set out in the work of Steele, Malchiodi and Klein (2003) entitled ‘Helping Children Feel Safe’ include the following:

What’s Your Worry? – Children are asked by therapists and counselors to draw their feelings, especially their worries and fears.

Transform Your Worry – a drawing of something such as a sorry may be utilized in assisting the child to transform what is worrying them into something less troubling or frightening.

Magic Book – This is a method used for empowering children in seeking their own solutions to that which worries them and helps children cope with their fears;

My Safe Box – This involves the creation of a memory box and is a process by which a box is used to contain the child’s memories including objects fashioned from clay in representation of people or events, drawings of the deceased, family photos and other small mementos that are representative of the positive experiences the child had with the deceased. (Malchiodi, 2003)

Malchiodi (2003) states guidelines for assisting children with grief include the follows:

Allow children to be the “experts” about their art expressions and about their experiences. This allows the child to feel empowered through telling you the story of “what happened,” recalling memories, and defining feels. It is important for trauma specialists to convey to children that they appreciate their expertise as well as courage in being able to share their experiences through drawing and talking about their loss. Identifying children as “experts” also allows helping professionals to be less anxious about knowing all the answers when it comes to traumatic death;

Assume that all children of all ages want and need to understand death. Sometimes trauma specialists shy away from discussing death, believing that children do not want or cannot understand the concept. However, it is important to give children information at the level they can understand. Use creative activities to explore their conceptualization about death;

Make sure that parents and families understand that their children may need further intervention in the months and years to come. Additional help may be necessary if children experience additional traumas or loss or when they reach a developmental milestone (such as becoming an adolescent); and Understand your own feelings about death, especially those associated with traumatic loss. All trauma specialists may struggle with making sense of the lives lost on September 11th, 2001. It is those deaths that are the result of what seem like random acts of violence that are the most important to find meaning and answers. Make sure you understand your own perceptions and beliefs before you begin work with children who have experienced traumatic loss. (2003)

The work of Fiorini and Mullen entitled: ‘Understanding Grief and Loss in Children’ states that “grief and loss experiences of children and adolescents are demonstrated emotionally. Regardless of the type of loss, the child may experience feelings of emptiness, anger, confusion, desertion, and insecurity. In addition, he or she is almost certain to feel responsible, and guilty about the loss he or she has experienced.” (nd) Behavioral manifestations of the inability to cope with feelings of grief include “angry outbursts, irritability, sleeping and eating disorders, and persistent questioning about the details of death.” (Fiorini and Mullen, 2007) Frequent expression of grief in childhood and adolescence include “fear of personal fallibility, psychosomatic ailments, and difficulties with schoolwork, nightmares or sleep disorders, changes in eating patterns, temporary regressions and shock.” (Fiorini and Mullen, 2007) Fiorini and Mullen note that four tasks were outlines by Fox (1985) in assisting children with understanding their grief, commemorating the loss and with moving on with their life. It is stated that interventions that have been successful in children who are dealing with grief include those of “play therapy, narrative therapy and art therapy.” (Fiorini and Mullen, 2007)

The work of Nabors (2004) et al. entitled: ‘A Pilot Study of the Impact of a Grief Camp for Children’ relates a study in which states findings that “children reported that art activities helped them to express feelings about their grief and release feelings of sadness and worry related to the death. Parents and children felt that the camp was a positive experience and that the children benefited from being in groups with peers who had also lost family members.” (2004)

The work of Busch and Kimble (2001) entitled: ‘Grieving Children: Are We Meeting the Challenge’ published in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing states that “an effective way to help children develop strategies to cope with loss is though a bereavement support groups. The use of art therapy, recreation, psychodrama, puppets, workbooks, discussions, writings and other supportive activities are all structured into sessions that help children express grief openly and receive support from others who are grieving.” (2001) the primary purpose of the group is “not to achieve resolution of grief, but rather to give the students the skills and support to continue to work toward resolution of their grief.” (Busch and Kimble, 2001)

The work of Graham and Sontag (2001) entitled: ‘Art as an Evaluative Tool: A Pilot Study’ published in Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association relates a study that examined the effectiveness of an art therapy support group for children who were grieving. The assessment utilized artwork for making qualitative measure of the perspective of the experiences in this group of children. Results of the study state that evaluation of perceptions of the children’s grief “was conducted retrospectively at a ‘reunion’ of the group one year after completion of a 10-session treatment program.” (Graham and Sontag, 2001) it is stated that three themes emerged in this study as follows:

1) the vulnerability of grieving children;

2) the importance of maintaining memories; and 3) the contribution of the group to the process of grieving. (Graham and Sontag, 2001)

Findings are stated to indicate “that art can be an effective tool to evaluate children’s grief groups.” (Graham and Sontag, 2001) the work of Ellenbecker and King (1990) entitled: ‘The Effects of Gender and College Major on Mood State Changes Induced through Artistic Expression’ published in the American Journal of Art Therapy states that “a basic tenet of art therapy is that the process of creating art is associated with positive mood change.”

The work of Nicole Resnick (2005) entitled: ‘It’s All Right to Cry: How to Help Kids Cope with Death, Dying and Grief’ relates a story in which a child is asked why he believed his grandfather had died and the little boy confided that “he felt he was responsible” as he had “accidentally stepped on his grandpa’s oxygen tube the same night the terminal man passed away.” (Resnick, 2005) Resnick expressed that had this child not had the chance to voice this belief “he may have harbored this misguided guilt for years.” (2005) the tendency, according to Resnick is to not speak about grief however, this is a tendency that is very ineffective in assisting the child who is coping with grief over the death of someone close to them. Resnick specifically states: “For many young children, art therapy is a highly effective approach to managing the grieving process.” (Resnick, 2005) Resnick relates that a bereavement counselor and art therapist at HospiceCare, Molly Tomony “…says the philosophy of this growing field is that we all have an inherent capacity to create, when it is difficult to articulate feelings verbally, there are other ways to express feelings and struggles.” (2005) in fact, many things are revealed through children’s artwork. Resnick share the story of Tomony who states “…she once taught a little boy who drew a picture of the battle being waged between the good healthy cells — drawn in red — and the bad cancerous cells — drawn in black — inside his father’s body. Very perceptive, Tomony thought, but she also noticed many black cells drawn along the bottom of the paper, outside of his father’s body. When asked what they meant, the child said that they represented the cancer cells that came off of his dad’s feet as he walked. That is why, the child explained, he always wore shoes at home — to avoid catching cancer from the cells on the floor.” (Resnick, 2005)

CONCLUSION

Findings in this study indicate that art therapy is a very effective method is assisting grieving children in coping with the loss of a loved one. Children often harbor erroneous beliefs and misconceptions about the reason the loved one has died and furthermore, often harbor misplaced self-guilt concerning the death of their loved one. Art therapy is highly effective in assisting children in the expression of their grief and furthermore, is highly effective in assisting children in moving on with their life avoiding depression and self-guilt associated with the death of their loved one.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Recommendations that have arise during the course of this study for future research include a recommendation that more research be applied to understanding how children process the death of a loved one and the various forms of guilt that children attach to self related to the death of a loved one. Furthermore, future research should focus on understanding precisely how children represent grief and death and how this conceptualization of death is portrayed in their artwork and specifically as related to death by disease and how this relates to the child’s feelings of safety and security following the death of a loved one by diseases such as cancer.

Bibliography

Art Therapy (2008) National Standard – the Authority on Integrated Medicine. Online available at http://www.naturalstandard.com/index-abstract.asp?create-abstract=/monographs/alternativemodalities/patient-arttherapy.asp

Malachiodi, Cathy a. (2003) Using Creative Activities as Intervention for Grieving Children. Trauma and Loss: Research and Interventions Vol. 3 No. 1, 2003. The National Institute of Trauma and Loss in Children. Online available at http://www.tlcinstitute.org/creative.html

Fiorini, Jody J. And Mullen, Jodi a. (2007) Understanding Grief and Loss in Children – Article Seven.

Nabors, Laura, et al. (2004) a Pilot Study of the Impact of a Grief Camp for Children. Cambridge Journals Palliative and Support Care 2004 Vol. 2-19 Jul 2005. Online available at http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=8DE0B69D35D46519FE4401EA5F569E1C.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=315560

Busch, Teri; and Kimble, Cathy S. (2001) Grieving Children: Are We Meeting the Challenge? Pediatric Nursing July 2001. Online available at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FSZ/is_4_27/ai_n18612273/pg_1?tag=artBody;col1

Resnick, Nicole (2005) it’s All Right to Cry: How to Help Kids Cope with Death, Dying and Grief. Madison Magazine. September 2005. Online available at http://madisonmagazine.com.stage.embtv.com/article.php?section_id=918&xstate=view_story&story_id=207474

Art Therapy with Children Experiencing Grief

Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply

Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?

Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.

Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?

• Plagiarism free papers
• Timely delivery
• Any deadline
• Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
• Subject-relevant academic writer
• Adherence to paper instructions
• Ability to tackle bulk assignments
• Reasonable prices
• 24/7 Customer Support
• Get superb grades consistently

Online Academic Help With Different Subjects

Literature

Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.

Finance

Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.

Computer science

Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!

Psychology

While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.

Engineering

Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.

Nursing

In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.

Sociology

Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.

Business

We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!

Statistics

We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.

Law

Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.

What discipline/subjects do you deal in?

We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.

Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?

Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.

What if I don’t like the paper?

There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.

Reasons being:

• When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
• We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.

In the event that you don’t like your paper:

• The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
• We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
• Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.

Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?

Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.

What if the paper is plagiarized?

We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.

When will I get my paper?

You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.

Will anyone find out that I used your services?

We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.

How our Assignment  Help Service Works

1.      Place an order

You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.

2.      Pay for the order

Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.

3.      Track the progress

You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.

4.      Download the paper

The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.

PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!