Auckland Arts Therapy in Schools Initiative
Auckland Arts Therapy in Schools Initiative is a trio of registered Arts Therapists with experience working with children and adolescents in diverse settings including schools, alternative education and child protection services.
Our aim is to provide a complementary service to schools using arts therapy to address the needs of children and adolescents experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Arts Therapy may be used to facilitate student’s expression of feelings (positive and negative), enhance positive behaviours, increase self-esteem, augment cognitive abilities and/or improve social skills.
Key Points
When an arts therapist is engaged the whole school benefits. The staff team is made aware that provision has been made for the emotional needs of children in order for them to gain access to the curriculum. The causes of inappropriate behaviour in the classroom are dealt with appropriately in a distinct space away from lessons. This is understood and appreciated by staff and pupils alike.
No specialist equipment is required other than the usual art materials found in the classroom. Sessions are scheduled to fit in with the school timetable and classroom staff.
In order to maintain confidentiality of the artwork made in arts therapy, schools and organisations must provide a lockable cupboard, cabinet or closet with limited access for storage of art therapy artwork.
The Arts Therapy Room
The arts therapy space is a container, both literal and symbolic, for the therapeutic work that occurs within it. Arts therapy offers a space for the child away from the classroom and other obligations where privacy and confidentiality is maintained.
On a practical level, the ideal room contains a range of art materials, a sink or other source of water, suitable work surfaces, and is large enough to enable freedom of movement. Therapist and child meet \regularly in this same room, which should be quiet and free from intrusion whilst sessions are taking place. This is essential in order to create an atmosphere of safety and trust. If the room is consistently experienced as a safe place, it takes on a special significance for the child, becoming a space where difficult feelings can be expressed and explored.
Referral
How the referral process works in schools can differ depending on the staff team and the arts therapist. However, arts therapy referrals in schools generally come from class teachers, SENCos (Special Education Needs Coordinator), Social Workers and Principals. The arts therapist may be given a list of students, whom staff would like to be considered. From this, the arts therapist and other professionals, such as the SENCo or Principal, can begin the process of selection. This can also include a therapist’s observation of a student in class (for individual work only). Other factors, which need to be considered by the therapist and staff team might include:
- Time available – An initial eight session term (groups and individuals) is put in place with a review at the end of the term for possible continuation or alternative plan.
- Other therapies – If a child is already seeing a counsellor, therapist or family therapy it could ‘over load’ a child and be too much.
- Group or individual – Group work may be the only option and which is not always a suitable intervention for every child.
- It is important that staff involved in the referral process understand how the therapeutic process works so they are able to make appropriate referrals. The referral process is assisted by education and communication within the staff team, mainly through art therapy literature and whenever possible a presentation and experiential workshop.
- Parental consent is another important part of the referral process. This is generally done via a letter being sent home or email, which is accompanied by arts therapy information for parents.
- Parents are given the opportunity to meet with the therapist prior to therapy to discuss any queries or concerns.
School Package
Schools are encouraged to purchase arts therapy for one day a week on a term-by-term basis. A short-term intervention may not give enough time for a child to explore strong and complex emotions and consequently may present difficulties for the arts therapist when evaluating the efficacy of Arts Therapy within that time.
It is important for arts therapists to work closely with staff members and parents/carers and a one-day contract enables us to arrange meetings frequently and flexibly.
One day (six hours) of arts therapy each week provides:
- individual or group sessions of arts therapy for example four x individual or one group session and two individual sessions)
- Availability to see parents/carers
- Attendance at multi-disciplinary meetings
- Feedback for staff (written reviews per term, fortnightly verbal feedback)
- Administration (record keeping of each session)
- Staff presentations and workshops by request
- Schools are asked to provide art materials for arts therapy; a list is provided by Auckland Arts Therapy in Schools Initiative
Staff Workshops
The package offered by Auckland Arts Therapy in Schools Initiative includes a workshop for staff, which we try to facilitate at an early stage of our work in a school. For vulnerable young people an integrated system of support is very important, and our aim is to demystify the arts therapy process so that a strong working liaison with staff can be established.
Workshops are organised according to the needs of a school, and are between 1 – 2 hours long. A typical session includes:
- An exploration of the basic principles of arts therapy practice.
- An experiential component where staff will have the opportunity to use a variety of art materials.
- Structured exercises to help staff gain an insight into how making artwork is useful as a form of non-verbal communication, or as a way of expressing and thinking about complex feelings.
- Time for discussion and to answer any other questions that staff may have.
- Auckland Arts Therapy in Schools Initiative is also able to facilitate workshops for other allied professionals such as RTLBs and additionally Resourced Centres.
If you are interested in having an arts therapy workshop or bringing arts therapy to your school please contact us.
