Creative therapy encourages children to better understand and process thoughts, feelings and behaviours.
Whether acting in a play, singing a song, performing a dance or drawing a picture, the arts allow children and people to express themselves and their ideas without having to put them into words. It’s one of the many reasons why creative therapy has become popular, particularly for special needs children.
art therapy
What it is
Art therapy gives the child a chance to express and explore their thoughts and feelings through producing their own artwork. Using art as a means of communication and self-expression is less threatening than using just words. The child’s artwork forms the focus of discussions between the child and therapist. It represents the child’s thoughts and feelings. The sessions should be led by the child at their pace so they have the chance to explain what their artwork means or represents.
Case in point
Johannesburg-based art psychotherapist Samantha Davis tells how art therapy helped a seven-year-old boy with emotional and behavioural problems to identify his emotions in a useful way. As he found he could control the art materials he was using, he also found control of his emotions. Another eight-year-old boy living on the autism spectrum learned to communicate non-verbally through his free play with the art materials.
Who it helps
Art therapy provides an opportunity for children to play. It builds confidence and self-validation. Insight, self-awareness and self-reflection develop as the child is given the freedom to experiment or creatively test ideas. Art therapy teaches the child creative problem-solving, especially when they feel their artwork has turned out “wrong”. It has proved to be helpful for children with depression, emotional and behavioural problems, autism, ADHD, developmental delay and those with learning difficulties.
For more information, visit arttherapy.co.za.
drama therapy
What it is
Drama therapy concentrates on play and improvisation, allowing the child to express their feelings and emotions in an unthreatening environment. The two main techniques used in drama therapy are role-play – where something in the story line relates to the child’s situation – and mask-making – the mask allows the child to hide behind the created character making it easier to face uncomfortable emotions.
Case in point
A Johannesburg-based drama therapist spent six months working with a group of HIV-positive children 7–11 years of age to develop their emotional, social and mental abilities. She says the role-playing gave the children enough distance from their HIV status to allow them to voice it for the first time. They were also able to vent over the issue of secrecy and disclosure within the group, and in their lives.
Who it helps
Through role-playing in a group setting, drama therapy can be good for a child’s social skills. It teaches them how to tolerate others and how to better react to others and their differences. It is also helpful for children who have suffered from abuse of any kind. Allowing them to wear a mask can be a safe way for these children to bring their problem to the fore and to confront their emotions. It increases self-esteem and general confidence, builds self-defence mechanisms and reduces disruptive behaviour.
For more information, visit dramatherapy.co.za.
music therapy
What it is
Music therapy uses music-making as a means of communication and emotional expression. This is achieved through structured activities such as singing, listening, playing instruments, composition, improvisation, movement to music, music and imagery and talking about the music or experiences in sessions.
Case in point
The Music Therapy Community Clinic was invited by the Cape Flats suburb of Heideveld to offer music therapy sessions to children who were dealing with a death in the family, were witnesses to violence, subject to physical, emotional or sexual abuse or had an absent parent. The programme helped the children deal with their trauma and process emotionally disturbing issues. It empowered them to deal with difficult life experiences in the future.
Who it helps
Music therapy aims to improve a child’s emotional and social abilities. Music therapists also work with children with learning disabilities, those with mental illnesses, the mentally and physically handicapped, the terminally ill and the traumatically brain injured.
play therapy
What it is
Play therapy uses games and toys to help children express their emotions, thoughts, wishes and needs. It works particularly well with children from three to four years old. Rather than having to explain what is bothering them, play in a non-threatening environment allows the child to communicate at their own level and pace. The child is thus able to feel at ease about getting in touch with feelings, which she may not be aware of or may be too scared to admit to or face.
The therapist actively participates in the process assimilating stressful experiences from the child’s life to prompt the child to deal with them. A play therapy session usually involves activities to facilitate sensory awareness, helping children become more aware of their emotions and thoughts about anything that might be worrying them subconsciously. These activities include smelling different things, touching a variety of textures, working with music, clay, paint, stories, puppets or sand.
Case in point
One play therapist helped an eight-year-old girl experiencing separation anxiety. She asked the child to make her sadness out of clay while she had her own clay puppet talk to the child’s “sadness”. This helped the therapist discover why she was feeling sad when separated from her parents and enabled the therapist to talk to the child about what she could do to empower herself. Play therapy helped the girl to discover what she was feeling and why, and she felt more in control of her emotions and behaviour.
Who it helps
Children experiencing anger, loss, divorce, crisis and trauma, relocation, hospitalisation and chronic illness. Anxiety, depression, ADHD and autism sufferers, and those with a wide variety of social, emotional and learning problems.
For more information, visit playtherapy.co.za.
