Changing children’s lives through art therapy
How Wendell Park Primary School is using art to help children improve their mental health and resilience.
From stress and anxiety, to eating disorders and depression, mental health issues are on the rise, including amongst children. According to the NHS, around one in five children aged 8–16 have a ‘probable mental disorder’.
There are many reasons for poor mental health, including cyber bullying, family breakdowns, academic pressure and the impact of the pandemic. Socio-deprivation also plays a role; children with a probable mental health disorder are more than twice as likely as their peers to live in a household that has fallen behind with rent, bills or a mortgage.
Early intervention can have a huge impact on a child’s life, helping them to learn coping mechanisms and to increase resilience before a mental health issue becomes a crisis. However, CAMHS (children and adolescents mental health services) are struggling to meet demand, which has led to long delays for support. While the average waiting time is 108 days, some children are forced to wait for two years or more before accessing government-funded support. Many children do not qualify for CAMHS support at all, even if their day-to-day life is being impacted by poor mental health.
Without support, mental health issues can worsen, escalating from relatively mild symptoms to crisis point. More than one in four young people under 25 reported that they’d tried to take their own life as a result of having to wait for mental health support.
Wendell Park Primary School
Wendell Park Primary School has been offering art therapy to pupils in need for almost a decade. The one-to-one sessions are led by Karissa Patel, an art psychotherapist.
Karissa shares, “Many of the children who are referred to me have experienced some kind of trauma, which has a knock on effect on their self-esteem and confidence, particularly with children who have experienced some form of bullying. Some children might also question their self-worth if they’ve experienced being taken into care. Anxiety may heighten and seep into how a child engages with adults and peers if they have experienced or witnessed domestic violence. Additionally, trauma can also be experienced through loss of a loved one, whether that’s through bereavement or being removed from their parent(s). Overall, adverse childhood experiences have affected their day-to-day life. Art therapy helps to support children to voice their questions and make sense of their experiences; to create understanding rather than thinking, ‘It’s my fault that this happened.’
“Referrals are often times identified by behavioural, social or emotional challenges. For instance, the child might be acting out in class, unable to focus or to control their anger; they could start to withdraw and isolate themselves from their peers, refusing to socialise and engage, sometimes to the extreme of refusing to come to school.”
Art therapy
As Karissa explains, “Art therapy uses creative processes to help the child to express and explore their thoughts, feelings and experiences, and to understand how their experiences affect everyday connections. It’s a non-judgmental, non-threatening space where the child can figure out who they are and learn to be more compassionate towards themselves.
“Art making can consist of drawing, painting and working with clay, plasticine, play-doh, sand and so on. There’s also an element of play involved, particularly for younger children. There isn’t a huge difference between art and play for young children, and it’s through these creative means that they develop their main way of communicating during their early years.
“Sometimes, it’s about giving children who may have had to grow up too quickly a chance to just be a child again. For example, they might be a young carer or an elder sibling who is given a lot of responsibility. They might act very mature but need help to catch up emotionally or psychologically.
“I take a child-led approach. Children have very little say in major decisions that affect them, such as where they’re moving to or who they’re going to live with. They lack control in their day-to-day life. So, the child tells me what they want to do. Once trust has developed, they will start to open up and include me. We can then work towards finding the right coping tools so the child is able to articulate and identify feelings in a healthier way. The overall aim is to help foster emotional resiliency.”
Karissa works with each child for between two terms and a year, during which time the child’s mental health and behaviour will usually improve. Rosie Peters, Head of Wendell Park Primary School, says, “Therapy profoundly impacts vulnerable children, fostering greater confidence and resilience. We receive positive feedback from parents, teachers and the children themselves. We see the impact art therapy makes on a young person’s self-confidence, on their ability to try and believe in themselves, and, overall, on them having a better sense of self-awareness.”
Grant funding
Karissa’s work with the children at Wendell Park Primary School is funded through a Hammersmith United Charities grant. Karissa shares, “It’s only because of charities like HUC that we can provide early intervention mental health care. It allows for those children who may not meet the criteria for CAMHS or who are facing a long wait list to be seen sooner, rather than having that long wait time where their symptoms might otherwise get worse.”
Find out more
If you or your child are awaiting a CAMHS referral, the following charities may be able to offer support:
If you work in a school and want to support your pupils’ mental health, you can visit the Anna Freud website to download educational resources, including templates and toolkits.
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