Art therapy offers a valuable approach to helping young children, aged 10 and under, cope with and manage symptoms of depression. It provides a non-verbal medium through which children can express complex feelings and thoughts that they might not yet have the words to describe. As part of the initial lectures we cover:

Expression of Emotions

Identification of Feelings

Development of Coping Skills

Storytelling and Narrative Therapy

Relaxation and Focus

Self-Esteem Building

Social Skills and Communication

Symbolic Play and Metaphor Use

Advice is also given about implementing art therapy for children with depression.

We then go on to express the therapeutic benefits of art therapy such as:

Non-Verbal Communication

Mastery and Control

Emotional Regulation

Problem-Solving Skills

We look at the Practical Implementation in Various Settings such as:

Educational Settings

Healthcare Settings

Community Centres and Workshops

Home

Art activities discussed include:

Emotion Colour Wheel

Mood Masks

Clay Sculpting

Collage of Emotions

Story Stones

Comic Strips

Emotion Postcards

Music Painting

Puppet Making and Role Play

These activities can be adapted according to the child's age, interests, and emotional maturity. The key is to create a supportive environment where the child feels safe and comfortable expressing their feelings through art.

Further lectures look at adapting art activities for children with special needs involves considering their individual abilities, challenges, and preferences to ensure that the activities are accessible, engaging, and therapeutic. General strategies and specific adaptations for the art activities previously discussed make up the next few lectures.

The emphasis throughout is on practicality. Lectures explain art therapy exercises and then there are Case Studies and further art therapy exercises to complement the lecture. therefore it is very important that students who enrol  a) do not rush and b) actually do the exercises, do the case studies - and then discuss, discuss, discuss - and then: REFLECT.

Although the overall theme is 'Children and Depression' the Case Studies and extra Art Therapy exercises also cover: Stress, Anxiety, Grief, PTSD, Trauma, ADHD. What is important to remember is that this is a course made up of:

a. Video-based lectures

b. Educational Announcements

c. Case Studies

d. Supplementary Art Therapy exercises

e. Discussions, discussions, discussions.

The Case Studies and Art Therapy exercises come with discussion questions to encourage student participation.

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