Bereavement Professional

Hi Everyone,

Do any of you have any experience starting an art bereavement program? Or collaborating with another community organization to create a program?

I would love to start offering this program to our bereaved individuals. However, I'm not sure if we have the finances or clientele to support a start-program. I think that it would be great to partner with another organization in town to create this opportunity; it would assist with both cost and participation.

Do any of you have any suggestions, feedback, or experience with this?

Thanks!!!

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Anne Alesch, MDiv
Bereavement Coordinator
UnityPoint at Home Corporate Office
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Hi, Anne! 

I don't have experience starting an art therapy bereavement program, but I am a satisfied customer of one!  I went to Cornerstone of Hope in Independence, Ohio, after my mom died.  I had individual therapy with a social work intern who administered a few very effective exercises which got me started on my recovery process.

If you'd like to know more about their program, you may want to look up their website or perhaps contact their Clinical/Spiritual Director, Matt Williams.

I wish you well in starting an art program. :D

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Cynthia Danals
Chaplain
Guardian Angel Home Care & Hospice Services, Inc.
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Hello,

     We don't have an 'art therapy program' however we have offered a pottery workshop every year that is very popular. We are limited to 12 and it is almost always full. We do this in collaboration with a local pottery studio and charge a fee so we can compensate the studio for the costs involved. I'll attach a flyer from one of our previous ones as well as a couple other art related workshops we've tried.  Prior to developing an entire art therapy program you might want to consider a couple of these types of workshops first explore both the feasibility as well as the interest.

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Patti Anewalt
Director
Pathways Center for Grief & Loss
Hospice & Community Care
Mount Joy, PA
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Attachment(s)

Art Workshop 2012 - 1up.pdf   572 KB 1 version

Memory Box Workshop 6-14, 1up.pdf   431 KB 1 version

Pottery Workshop 10-14, 1up.pdf   2.38 MB 1 version

Hi -

We started an art therapy bereavement program many years ago and have many successful groups and workshops.  We had art therapy in our hospice program which was very successful.  A couple donated a significant amount of money to help us add an art therapist to our bereavement center almost 15 years ago. Since then, we have had many donors and agencies (specifically Cuyahoga Arts and Culture) fund our program.  This requires on-going grant writing and record keeping.  I have included the link to our art therapy supports on our website. http://www.hospicewr.org/grief-loss/support-groups/art-therapy-support-groups

If you have more specific questions, please contact me directly. We also use volunteers to help us with art interventions.

Good luck!

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Diane Snyder Cowan, MA, MT-BC, CHPCA
Director of Bereavement Center
Hospice of the Western Reserve, Inc
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Hello,

I am an art therapist and a professional counselor working in Bereavement.  Joining art therapy with the bereavement process is a beneficial service to grieving individuals.  If you are looking to partner with a local art therapist, I would recommend referencing the American Art Therapy Association website or your local art therapy chapter to find art therapists in your area.  Art Therapy and bereavement jobs are difficult to come by.  You may find that a job posting with art therapy master's programs may provide you with someone with the passion for hospice and bereavement work rather than an art therapist that has a specialty in a different area.

I'm happy to talk with you about this.

Best wishes,

Julie

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Julie Blackburn, LCPC, NCC, ATR
Art Therapist and Bereavement Counselor
Joliet Area Community Hospice
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Expressive arts are so helpful in grief. I am not an art therapist but have a lifetime of experience in the arts - I was a performing musician during my childhood and teenage years and also a dancer and choreographer for most of my life. Personally, in times of trouble I reach for a pen to write, cut up pieces of paper and glue to collage or dance it out. Now as a grief counselor, I always seek ways to use creative expression. My Masters program had a focus on creativity and innovation which helped me move into areas of expression that I'd never tried such as drawing, touch drawing and authentic movement.

When working with children I always start with drawing. Then, while they are engaged in making pictures, I ask some gentle questions to see if they feel like talking. And if they don't, that's fine too. Often little ones will share something about the one who died while they are coloring.

I have used collage work in support groups.Sometimes we've ended a workshop with an imagery/movement exercise. I facilitate memory boxes with grievers, using magazine clippings, photos brought by the clients, inspirational words, oil pastels and markers and plastic bling for children. The suggestion for the boxes is to hold keepsakes and items that remind them of the one who died.  I also spontaneously bring out drawing materials if it seems appropriate and the client is receptive.Once someone described her grief as a whirlpool into which she was sinking so I pulled out a big sheet of paper and some crayons and guided her in a creative process to draw her way out. Recently, to help a woman deal with a lot of anger she was experiencing after the death of both of her parents, we created a "stick of dynamite" which held a crepe paper "fuse" and lots of words that expressed her rage.After months of listening to her talk about her anger, it seemed more effective to "do" something with it! And it helped - she reached out to a family member that she had stopped talking to.

I also created and implemented a writing workshop at the Hospice where we talked about the benefits of journaling, gave the clients a set of prompts (although they didn't really need them) and a talk by a former client who has written a book about her grief. Then we allowed about 30 minutes for people to write, then some time for sharing.  In my private practice, I have developed a series of writing prompts to help my clients journal and always have a bag of art supplies should inspiration arise.

It's important to remember that using art expression for therapeutic purposes is different than just handing someone some craypaz and a sheet of paper. There are very good books that can help you develop some skills and offer ideas for working with different age groups. There are workshops to attend that will teach you ways to use creative expression.  Here in New York there is an Expressive Therapies Summit once a year in November that has wonderful offerings by music, art and dance therapists. I find it invaluable to help me transfer my former performance perspective to a therapeutic one.

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Claudia Coenen, CT, MTP
The Karuna Project
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