The power of a picture

When a child is struggling with big emotions such as anxiety, grief or trauma, it can be very hard for them to express how they feel and put them into words. Sometimes they just don't even have the words to explain their feelings. All they know is that something within them just doesn't feel ‘right’. 

This is where Drawing and Talking therapy can work its wonders.  It’s a very gentle, child led intervention that helps children to process their feelings through drawing. The Benefit: a child can "draw out" a feeling even if they don't have a word for it. 

In my sessions, children are given a piece of paper and a pencil and can draw whatever comes to mind. There is no right or wrong, and no judgment. The idea behind this is that their drawing and the story they then tell will reflect their inner world. Whatever they draw, they draw for a reason. They don't have to know the reason. But through this process, they can then in turn process their deeper feelings. 

Drawing and talking non-direct and this makes it a safe and comfortable way for children to communicate. Talking about a traumatic or scary event can be re-traumatizing. In Drawing and Talking therapy, the child isn't necessarily talking about themselves; they are talking about the characters or shapes on the paper. That feels less scary and intimidating. It’s much easier to talk about why a "monster" in a drawing is lonely than explain why they feel lonely at school. 

Drawing and Talking is an incredibly beneficial process for children and it's always a joy to see how a child's drawings progress. From initial pictures centred around anxiety, to final drawings full of smiling faces. It is wonderful to see the process unfold and to see how children also benefit outside of the sessions in understanding and regulating their emotions, which once felt far too big to handle.