Category: Expressive Arts Activities
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HALT for Families: Pause, Check In, Then Choose
A child reaches for another snack twenty minutes after eating. They snap at a sibling over something small. They burst into tears when asked to put on shoes. They wander around the house saying they are bored, but reject every suggestion. It can be tempting to focus immediately on the behavior: “Why are you eating… Read more
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The Homecoming Plan: Supporting a Teen After Inpatient Mental Health Treatment
Coming home after inpatient mental health treatment can bring relief, hope, fear, and uncertainty into the house at the same time. Parents may feel grateful to have their child home while also wondering: The young person may also be carrying several conflicting feelings. They may desperately want normalcy but feel nowhere near normal. They may… Read more
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Your Body Is Talking: A Beginner’s Guide to Body Mapping
Sometimes we know we are upset before we know why. Our shoulders tighten. Our stomach twists. Our face feels hot. Our chest gets heavy. Our hands go numb, restless, or shaky. We may say, “I don’t know what I’m feeling,” while our body is already offering clues. Body mapping is a simple expressive-arts practice that… Read more
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What is Expressive Arts Therapy?
Expressive Arts Therapy is a creative, whole-person approach to healing and self-discovery. Instead of focusing only on talking, expressive arts invites you to explore thoughts, emotions, memories, and experiences through creative forms such as art, music, movement, writing, storytelling, drama, rhythm, collage, nature, or imagination. You do not need to be “good” at art, music,… Read more
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Tree of Life
Part One: Get Paper and Draw A Grounding Line Grab our printable our use any blank paper — draw a line that separates above ground from underground. Roots — Where you come from Draw the roots and write places, cultures, family stories, values, and early teachers (grandparents count; pets do too if they shaped you!).… Read more