Wagga’s Country Hope is aiming to offer art therapy classes next term to help seriously ill children and their siblings find some relief and support in a creative way. Photo: Country Hope.
A highly popular art therapy program for children diagnosed with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses will soon be coming to Wagga.
Country Hope has been operating the weekly program in Albury for the past 12 months and there have been some transformational results, regional co-ordinator Kristy McMahon said.
The classes are offered to children battling illness as well as to their siblings who are often grappling with their own struggles as a result of having a brother or sister who is dealing with serious health issues.
Country Hope is known for its family centred support programs and offers practical, emotional, and financial assistance during challenging times.
“It’s really important to recognise that we don’t just support the sick child but we support the siblings and the whole family unit,” Kristy said.
Kristy believes the art therapy classes offer an activity-based model which is more likely to be attended.
“If you were to run a traditional support group, you’d rarely get anyone to turn up,” she said.
“Parents will do anything for their kids if it’s going to help, so we decided to start art therapy.
“We’ve found there’s also been a great uptake with the siblings who might get left at home and feel a bit unseen and unheard when Mum or Dad are in Melbourne or Sydney taking care of the sick child.”
Led by a qualified art therapist, children do a range of different craft activities with the opportunity to express their feelings, fears, hopes and dreams at the core of the engagement model.
“This is a good place for them to come to feel as though they are really special and they can have their feelings seen and heard; it’s an alternative form of counselling I guess,” Kristy said.
The art classes have been particularly useful for boys who don’t tend to communicate. Photo: Country Hope.
Kristy said tasks such as painting a mask with two sides – one side reflecting how the child looked on the outside and the other side about how they felt on the inside – had opened the doors of communication for many children.
“It’s been really interesting, particularly with boys who don’t tend to communicate; a lot comes out and we are able to provide the parents with enough information about the activity so they can talk about it at home.
“This is another tool that we can give to parents to start off discussions and we’ve had some really good outcomes.”
Kristy described another activity where children were asked to pick an animal they liked and identify its strengths.
“One of the kids created a wolf mask. She was a child that struggled with sleep and a fear of the dark.
“After this activity she actually got up one night on her own to go to the bathroom and told her mum she was OK as she had her wolf mask and wolves were nocturnal and not afraid of the dark,” Kristy said.
“The mother told us it has changed their lives as prior to her finding her ‘inner wolf’ in the art program she was getting woken up every time she needed to go to the bathroom.
“The whole anxiety around it had been resolved.
“It was a fantastic outcome.”
She said parents were saying they were having more open discussions with their children and that the kids “just seemed happier”.
There have been many lightbulb moments in the group when children realise they aren’t the only ones going through the same challenges. Often they have their sick brother or sister away in the same place receiving treatment at the same time.
Another beneficial spin-off is that Kristy can meet more informally with parents while their children are in the art classes and talk about what they are going through at home.
“These parents are also meeting other parents in similar situations and can talk with each other and create relationships that they can take outside of the centre.
“A lot of the work we do, even though we are an organisation helping kids with illnesses, is supporting the parents to be able to support their kids; that’s really important. If we can keep Mum and Dad OK, then we can make sure the kids are OK too.”
The art therapy classes see kids using their creativity to make a range of things while being able to talk freely about their daily life and struggles they may be facing. Photo: Country Hope.
Country Hope has been operating for 21 years.
The organisation raises funds through community activities and has more flexibility than a government funded model.
“The beauty is we’re not locked into specific ways of doing things,” Kristy said.
“What is right for one family is often quite different for another.
“We always say to our families, try other sources first for things that you need and when you find something that you can’t get funded somewhere else then come to us.
“Like everyone, our resources are limited but we can make sure that our resources are spent in the absolute best possible way for that family.”
Country Hope will offer the art therapy classes next term.
For more information visit Country Hope.
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