What We Do

Art allows children to express what they may not be able to speak about-fear, isolation, anger and loss. Through art and play therapy young cancer patients and their families learn to cope with the emotional stress and trauma associated with their disease and its treatment. Through art, they tell stories, share their deepest feelings, and gain a sense of control over their lives during a time when everything seems to be spinning out of control.

Our goal is to ensure that each child is emotionally equipped to fight the disease as actively as possible and prepare for the time that he or she is cancer free. Professionals with Masters degrees in Art Therapy begin their work while the children are hospitalized, continue when patients return to school and follow them into recovery, helping them to understand the unique challenges they may face as they grow beyond their cancer experience.

In addition to working directly with the children, our Art Therapists serve as members of the treatment team, meeting regularly with health care providers to help them understand patients' needs, and to learn about the treatment plan so they can help patients understand as well. Art Therapists support patients by visiting their schools, advising parents, and helping them adjust to their new routines

Nurturing Development

Children who undergo medical treatment may regress to a less mature developmental stage-a normal human reaction to severe stress. Working in art therapy meets children where they are and challenges them to grow. A regressed child can regain lost ground and begin to communicate his or her wishes, needs, questions and fears in an age-appropriate way.

Supporting Emotional Expression

Young patients must balance the need to express their feelings about the many losses that the diagnosis brings with wanting to please their parents and cooperate with their treatment. A monster made of clay or poured out in paint upon paper is not real. It can be smashed and destroyed, or tamed and nurtured without harm to the creator. Growth and healing that take place in the imagination nourish and renew the human spirit.