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Name: Erica

Age: 12, 6th grade

Gender: Female

Race/Ethnicity: Hispanic

Socio-Economic Status: Lower Class

City: Orlando, Florida

Who she lives with: Lives with her father

Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual

Religion: Christian

Intellectual abilities: diagnosed with cognitive disabilities, IQ- 73, language impairment

Student Strengths: Reading skills, vocabulary, and comprehension

Areas for improvement: Written language skills, math, and social/emotional skills

Referral: Erica is being referred to the counselor due to social and emotional concerns from the teacher. Erica is withdrawn from class activities. She argues with students, yells at classmates, and hits them when upset. After further investigation,   and speaking to her elementary teacher,  information was gathered that included destroying class property, throwing books, and wetting herself on the playground. After the initial IEP meeting, the team was informed that Erica recently lost her mother a year ago and is adjusting to her father's new relationship.

Additional Observations: When Erica is presented with a task that is not of interest to her, she shoves her work off her desk and elopes. Erica loves to draw. She draws or colors a picture for her teacher every day.

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Art Therapy
Description: "Art therapy is defined as a treatment based on the interaction of the creator the creation, and the therapist (Freilich & Shechtman, 2010)." It provides a time for self-reflection and can bring out repressed emotions from previous trauma. Art therapy can be extremely beneficial with children especially those with learning disabilities. It also has the advantage of appealing to children who experience language difficulties.

Materials: Crayons, markers, colored pencils, magazines, glue, construction paper, white drawing paper, scissors, watercolors, clay

Rationale: Erica has shown an interest in drawing and art. When Erica becomes overwhelmed she can use this form of silence to quiet her mind and regulate her body (Malchiodi, 2020). This intervention can be used in and out of the classroom. Erica is able to make decisions on what to express and what materials to use. It is suggested that in art therapy the project selected is never incidental but that it is a reflection of important issues in the child's life that cannot be expressed directly (Freilich & Shechtman, 2010). This intervention will provide multiple benefits such as self-reflection and regulation of emotions as well as could provide insight into Erica's emotions. Since Erica has a language impairment and cognitive disability this therapeutic approach may help her to express her emotions.
Arts therapy is a studied intervention that can be modified to meet the needs of children and has been used successfully with school populations to treat a variety of social, emotional, behavioral, and learning difficulties (Packman and Bratton, 2003).

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Why Art Therapy?
Dear Parents and Teachers,

Art Therapy can be a beneficial tool for children and adults. With the use of Art Therapy Erica will be able to express her emotions through art. This could include drawing, painting, or even using clay to create. This intervention will allow Erica to express or explore her emotions in a safe environment. Rather than elope when Erica is experiencing high levels of stress or anxiety due to past experiences this intervention will provide Erica an opportunity to self-regulate her behaviors and reflect. Additional resources have been provided so that Erica can use the interventions at home as well as in the classroom. With the use of Expressive Arts therapy we hope to reduce the negative behaviors and focus on healing.

https://positivepsychology.com/art-therapy/

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Why Art Therapy?

Helps with cognition, emotional and sensory processing

Encourages positive choice making

Helps to process through suppressed emotions

Helps clients to communicate what is difficult to put into words

Freedom to create and freedom to express

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Description: Journaling is a therapeutic approach that has many benefits. Journaling can lead to confronting past emotions and trauma while exploring other creative modes. Journaling can consist of drawing, poetry, doodling, telling stories, creating stories, and more. Before utilizing this intervention it should be expressed to teachers and parents that the journal should remain at school in a safe place and will not be looked at by teachers and counselors unless the student chooses to share.

Materials: Spiral, or composition notebook, chosen materials for decorating (feathers, glitter, glue, etc.)
An infographic that provides mindfulness journaling activities can be glued to the inside to help generate ideas.

Rationale:  The journal can provide Erica with an easy way to talk to teachers, and parents about what she has done in therapy or at school, and explore suppressed emotions. Children typically express a great deal of pride when they show off their creativity in their journal (Palmer & Bowers, 2015). Journaling can allow Erica to reduce anxiety and stress and cope with her emotions instead of shutting down or causing a classroom disruption.

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Why Journaling?
Parents and Teachers,

After meeting, working, and observing Erica in the classroom she really enjoys opportunities when she is able to write or draw. As a result, Erica has begun a reflective journal. With this journal Erica is able to take a "time out" when needed to write, doodle, draw anything in her journal. Her journal is private but will remain at school. I have included other resources if you would like for Erica to utilize this reflective therapeutic strategy at home as well. With Erica's language impairment I have seen improvements already. She also has gratitude and reflective writing prompts that she is also able to write about.

https://www.expressiveartworkshops.com/expressive-art-journal-prompts/

https://www.developgoodhabits.com/gratitude-journal-prompts/

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Why Journaling?

Can reduce stress and emotional pain

Can help improve relationships

Allows for reflective processing through creativity

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Description: This is another intervention to incorporate silence and mindfulness. As described by Carl Jung, mandalas are a representation of the unconscious self (Roberts et al., 2020). Mandals can be created and colored or created by the individual. Mandals allow for self-reflection and can reduce anxiety. This activity can be done in silence or music if available.

Materials: Pre-made and printed mandalas, colored pencils, markers, crayons

Rationale: Students diagnosed with learning disabilities often struggle with academics or social skills. Students who are aware of their cognitive and emotional differences struggle to feel a sense of belonging. This feeling of isolation can lead to low self-esteem and feelings of inferiority can cause some students to elope or act out and exhibit negative behaviors.  These behaviors can interfere with academic success. Studies have shown that children with learning disabilities also have difficulty with social awareness, and do not always recognize the feelings or non-verbal cues expressed by others (Packman and Bratton, 2003). When students are withdrawn, lash out in frustration or anger, or exhibit behaviors due to heightened anxiety these behaviors can become a source of frustration for teachers, parents, and other children, and further inhibit the development of meaningful relationships.
According to Mehlomakulu (2012), Mandalas can be a great tool for self-soothing, meditation, emotional expression, and regulating feelings. This can be a useful intervention for Erica to calm down when her stress is heightened.

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Why Mandala Coloring?
Parents and Teachers,

With the use of Arts therapy interventions such as mandala coloring, Erica will be able to use this therapeutic intervention within the classroom as a self-regulation strategy. With the use of this intervention, it is hopeful to reduce the outbursts of negative emotions while helping Erica to reflect on her emotions. The counselor and teacher can also interact with Erica during or after the activity, asking such questions as to why she chose the design or even about the colors she chose. For more information, you can visit the resources provided.

http://creativityintherapy.com/2012/11/mandalas/#:~:text=Creating%20mandalas%20as%20art%20therapy,mandala%20to%20be%20very%20calming.

https://mashandco.tv/en/mandala-5-good-reasons-to-color-them/

http://www.hellokids.com/r_262/coloring-pages/mandala-coloring-pages

https://www.alustforlife.com/tools/mental-health/the-healing-benefits-of-mandalas-and-zendalas

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Why Mandalas?

Focus our attention away from worries and stress: focusing on design negative thoughts do not invade us;

Develop patience, perseverance, constancy;

Facilitate imagination, creativity, and problem-solving;

Canalize emotions: Coloring the mandala our mind becomes lighter and negative emotions turn into positive;

Finding the awareness of the present moment: Mind focuses on drawing, choosing colors and live “here and now”.

https://mashandco.tv/en/mandala-5-good-reasons-to-color-them/#:~:text=Coloring%2C%20in%20particular%2C%20mandalas%20promotes,development%20of%20intelligence%20and%20reasoning.

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20 Art Therapy Activities, Exercises & Books for Children and Adults. (2020, September 01). Retrieved October 20, 2020, from https://positivepsychology.com/art-therapy/

Freilich, R., & Shechtman, Z. (2010, February 11). The contribution of art therapy to the social, emotional, and academic adjustment of children with learning disabilities. Retrieved November 08, 2020, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197455610000201

Malchiodi, C. A. (2020). Trauma and expressive arts therapy: Brain, body, and imagination in the healing process. Guilford Press.

Mandala 5 good-reasons to color them. (2019). Retrieved November 09, 2020, from https://mashandco.tv/en/mandala-5-good-reasons-to-color-them/

Packman, J., & Bratton, S. C. (2003). A School-Based Group Play/Activity Therapy Intervention with Learning Disabled Preadolescents Exhibiting Behavior Problems. International Journal of Play Therapy, 12(2), 7–29. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0088876

Palmer, E. N., & Bowers, D. (2015). New twist on a classic tool: Using a journal as a technique for organizing therapy with young children. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 26(1), 15–18. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1080/08975353.2015.1002737

Roberts, N., Artist, A., Roberts, A., & Artist, P. (2020, March 16). The healing benefits of Mandalas and Zendalas. Retrieved November 4, 2020, from https://www.alustforlife.com/tools/mental-health/the-healing-benefits-of-mandalas-and-zendalas