Art Therapy for Kids
Success at school. Harmony at home. Friendships that last.
In-Person Art Therapy in Gibbsboro, NJ
Virtual Art Therapy in New Jersey, Connecticut & Pennsylvania
Art therapy can empower your kid to
slow down and think about their choices.
Unique kids with unique signs of emotional distress
Neurodivergent/2e and LGBTQ+ kids who are struggling with emotional dysregulation need an affirming therapist who understands how being ND and LGBTQ+ affects mental health. Both neurodivergence and being LGBTQ+ increase risk for mental health issues, so kids who are both are especially vulnerable.
You may be noticing a range of indicators that your ND and LGBTQ+ kid is struggling:
- Disproportionate emotional responses to seemingly mundane things, such as crying and yelling when asked to transition from one activity to another or needing to respond to change in plans
- Peer relationship challenges, including friendships that don’t stick, your child feeling excluded, other kids being cruel or taking advantage of your child
- Trouble navigating the increasingly nuanced social landscape as they transition from elementary school into middle school
- Questions or comments about gender and sexuality about themselves, or referencing people they know or possibly characters or famous people
- Experimenting with gender expression, or ways of describing or presenting themselves
Struggling kids mean struggling caregivers
In addition to always looking for signs of distress in your child, you probably recognize your responses to how they’re feeling or behaving:
- Emotional exhaustion from trying to contain your child’s big feelings
- Sense of tip-toeing around in hopes of not setting off another emotional eruption
- Dread of routine situations that escalate into ordeals, such as taking medication, going to school, or turning off devices
- Sense of sadness, frustration or powerlessness because you see the unique challenges of being ND and LGBTQ+ that your child faces
- Uncertainty about how best to support them, including when and how to step in and when to step back for the sake of social development and resiliency
As an affirming art therapist who’s sensitive to the relationship between neurodivergent/2e and LGBTQ+ identities and serious emotional distress, I want to ease your anxiety and increase your optimism as your child’s confidence improves, they build fulfilling friendships, and effectively cope with daily responsibilities and expectations.
” We tried that, and it was ok, but…”
By the time you’re looking for a therapist for your child, you’ve likely already tried countless resources to help them – podcasts, youtube, books for you, workbooks for them. If you’ve already tried therapy, perhaps there wasn’t a good fit, or you tried talk therapy, but your kid responds better to less talking and more doing.
Overall, you feel like it’s been mixed results, so your child is still struggling and you’re still trying to find a solution. For children who need an action-oriented, engaging, multisensory approach, art therapy could tie everything else you’ve done together, so you see real progress – fewer instances of your child going to an 11, quickly transitioning out of big feelings, and for you, more opportunities to take a breath while your child succeeds.
Why art therapy for your child?
Art therapy is an age-appropriate mental health treatment that will allow your neurodivergent/2e LGBTQ+ child to express their thoughts and feelings, and improve communication skills, self-understanding and resilience. These skills and qualities will allow them to more effectively manage big feelings, so ordinary frustrations don’t escalate into meltdowns.
In art therapy, your child will be guided to explore why their emotions can feel out-of-control. They’ll be encouraged to think about the ways big emotions affect them and contribute to issues at home and school, like conflict with family and social difficulties.
Careful consideration is given to art therapy prompts and materials, so your child has a structured experience that feels safe to explore sensitive themes. Your child will be supported to get feelings and memories “out” into the art, making it easier to talk about without blame because the feelings and memories depicted in the art are externalized, and thus can be discussed with greater objectivity.
Struggling with emotional dysregulation can keep children in self-perpetuating cycles of frustration and shame, emotional states that lead to breakdowns. Art therapy will be used to interrupt that cycle by supporting your child to recognize and celebrate their best qualities, strengths and differences. This recognition can enhance self-esteem and confidence, empowering them to respond differently when their emotions escalate, so they have time and mental energy to spend on what’s really important to them, like hobbies and friends.
Developmental Benefits of Art Therapy
Familiar & Age-Appropriate: Elementary School
Most kids regularly participate in some kind of artmaking activities at school, maybe at home or other places like summer camp.
Until about age 10, kids experiment with a personal visual language to tell stories, often with enthusiasm. Generally, they aren’t intersted in visual realism.
The role of storytelling is important in art therapy because it reflects a child’s inner world. The art therapist uses this information in the therapy process.
Familiar & Age-Appropriate: Middle School
Middle school kids become increasingly concerned with making art that “looks right.” At this age, many kids decide they aren’t “good” at art, based on self-assessment and their interpretation of others’ responses to their art.
Kids who don’t like art can still benefit from art therapy because it’s a familiar means of expression, there isn’t pressure to be talented, and no one is grading them. Instead, the therapist emphasizes communication of ideas and feelings.
Kids who enjoy art are often enthusiastic about art therapy, especially compared to talk therapy. Their inner critic is no less harsh than kids who don’t like art. For this reason, they benefit by focusing on self-expression and unique style as a means of boosting confidence and shh-ing the inner critic.
Identify & Communicate Feelings
Kids can have big feelings that they sometimes can’t easily identify, don’t understand, and don’t know how to express appropriately.
Art is a translation tool, allowing the therapist to guide discussions about the art’s meaning and associated emotions. In turn, discussion can help kids develop language skills for processing emotions.
Focus & Task Completion
The therapy room is a largely distraction-free space, and art therapy sessions have a goal-oriented consistent format. On the other hand, each session has a degree of novelty and experimentation, and even when the point is to address difficult issues, artmaking itself can still be fun and engaging.
There are many reasons kids have difficulty with focus and task completion – ADHD, anxiety, depression, grief. Art therapy is structured to promote focus, and art is a concrete task that your child will complete, which ultimately becomes a “win.”
Successful task completion can boost confidence, and serves as evidence that your kid is capable of more than they think.
Storytelling & Metaphor
Kids learn to make sense of the world and themselves through story. Through metaphor, storytelling offers a chance to learn about relationships, values, morals, conflict resolution, problem solving, culture, language, and the importance of multiple perspectives.
Like artmaking, storytelling is fun, so learning seems more like a bonus, rather than an essential characteristic of storries.
Art therapy for kids uses storytelling as a means of building understanding about the connection between their inner world and their environment.
While artmaking has benefits of its own, as illustrations for stories and reflections of a child’s inner world, art is a record of the story and its meaning.
Mastery & Confidence
Problem Solving Skills
Is art therapy right for your child?
Art therapy with Lee Ann isn’t right for your child if:
- Your child really doesn’t like art
- You’re looking for a family therapist
- You and your child are in the midst of a custody dispute
- Your child is in crisis and needs urgent care
- You need to work with a therapist who’s in-network with your insurance
- You’re primarily looking for a provider who prescribes medication
- You’re looking for short-term treatment that follows a set protocol, rather than a relational style of outpatient therapy that’s responsive to your child’s unique needs
Art therapy with Lee Ann Thill is right for your child if:
- Your child enjoys art
- You’re looking for a therapist who’s dedicated to building a trusting relationship with your child
- You want your child to look forward to therapy and value having their own special time to focus on what’s on their mind
- You want a therapist who values your perspective and will keep you engaged in the process according to your child’s comfort level (note: safety concerns are always shared with caregivers)
- Your child wants to try therapy, or is willing to try even if they are unsure
- Your child can benefit from a relationship with a caring therapist who is neurodivergent and queer
- You prefer to work with a specialist for your child’s needs, rather than a therapist who’s a generalist (accepts clients of all ages with a wide range of mental health concerns)
Consistency instead of chaos. Peace instead of power struggles.
Your child can be less frustrated and embarrassed about losing control. You can have less conflict at home and more joy spending time with your child.