Trafford Children and Young Peoples Service
has commissioned Artscape as part of their Family Engagement and Support Service to provide an Art Therapy service to children, young people and their families.
This is an innovative new service which aims to fill current gaps in provision to families across Trafford.
Artscape is offering individual, family and group sessions to children, young people and their families who have been affected by bereavement, loss or significant change but who are not in a state of crisis.
From September 2010, we will be running Art Therapy groups at Lostock College and Broadheath Primary School.
Professionals can also refer children and young people for individual and family Art Therapy sessions.
As we are a community based service, children and young people will be seen in a community facility close to home e.g. school, Children’s Centre or Healthy Living Centre
Groups
Artscape has been running groups in Trafford since 2007.
We have run groups at blueSci Arts and Cultural Centre for adults to promote positive mental health.
We have been running Art and Anger Management and Expressive Art groups with young people since September 2008. These were first commissioned by Partington Youth Partnership and funded by the Big Life Company.
Following the success of the first group, we have been commissioned, at the request of the young people, to run groups for Trafford Youth Offending Service Prevention team.
The “Creatin’ Calm” programme includes a mixture of expressive art making, self reflection and CBT approaches to helping people to reach a better understanding of the feelings u underlying their behaviour and to develop healthier ways of communicating.
The programme includes: exploring the physical symptoms of anger, personal triggers, family patterns, negative self talk, underlying feelings, healthy self expression, assertiveness, relaxation
The Big Headz Project
Avril ran The Big Headz Project with a group of young people permanently excluded from school.
The aim was to build self esteem and confidence and help the young people to reflect on their world – the communities that they belong to and their strengths as well as things that the find difficult in a safe, fun way.
Young people who don’t normally enjoy Art were free to be creative and have fun.
Over several weeks they built up paper mache and plaster heads and masks, incorporating notes of their thoughts and feelings along the way. They also built up trust with Avril and each other and were able to express thoughts and feelings in a way that they would normally find difficult.
Meningitis Trust Art Therapy Service
A national service set up in 2009, Artscape provides individual Art Therapy sessions to children and young people affected by Meningitis in the Greater Manchester area.
Children are referred through the Meningitis Trust as part of their counselling and family support services
