Our Philosophy
We believe that kids need to learn to manage their own emotions, since adults cannot do that for them. So, our approach - The Artplay Way - is all about empowering a child to identify how they are feeling, followed by how to manage their own big emotions. Your job is to provide food, a comfy bed, safety and love, while itās your childās job to be in control of their minds and bodies. Artplay is uber child-centric, so our goal is to teach kids how to be responsible for themselves, emotionally.
What to Tell Your Child About Artplay
The goal, in life, is to keep anxiety as low as possible, for kids and adults alike, so you can simply tell your child, āWe are going to a calm place where you get to be creative.ā Anxious kids tend to be nervous on the first day, but upon leaving, they are begging to come back every day. We love when parents tell us this because the more engaged the child is at Artplay, the more effectively we can help them.
First Time Visit
Upon walking in to Artplay, you will instantly experience that Artplay is a non-clinical, comfortable setting where everyone can relax. Find a seat or peruse the small Artplay store (if you choose to buy something, simply tell your helper). At your appointment time, your helper will find you. They will introduce themselves with kindness before handing you a clipboard with basic registration forms - nothing lengthy or intimidating. You will fill out the forms while your child is being seen. But even before that, your Artplay helper will offer for you to briefly see their therapy spaceā¦ there is an ocean room, waterfall room, galaxy room and more. Please keep in mind that Artplay sessions are every other week after your intake session, so add it to your schedule this way.
What Happens During a Session
Ultimately, your child is going to lead their Artplay sessions because of our child-centric philosophy, giving them a locus of control. Most kids start their sessions by playing a feelings-based game, such as Emotional Bingo. This allows your child to explore feelings identification, plus opens up the opportunity to do a check-in about anything that might be related to the concerns that brought them to Artplay. Then, they get to decide if they want to utilize art or play to gain strategies for coping with their negative emotions. We are directive, so we will talk specifically to the child about why they are attending Artplay. This way, goals can be met with expediency. We keep their hands busy so their minds are open, or they can tell their story through play and we will guide them to find solutions to their themes/issues. Our motto is: Kid-Powerment!
How You Will Receive Feedback
Your Artplay helper will do a brief check-in at the front-end of each session, asking if there is anything significant that you want to share. Then, after each session, you will receive feedback, either by way of an Artplay Feedback Form, email, text or a verbal update (you will get to choose). The intention of providing feedback is to be sure you also feel empowered in knowing what you can do to support your child. We often hear parents say that they took their child to therapy and they have no idea what happened, so we are breaking down those barriers by looping you in to the helping process.
Referrals
Artplay is considered a safe place. This is because we donāt diagnose, and our environment is non-clinical so kids donāt feel like anything is wrong with them (which there isnāt, in our opinion). If we do decide, together, that your child needs more support, or a different educational path, we have a short-list of trusted referrals for OT, speech therapy, dyslexia support, parent coaching, legal support, nutritionists, naturopaths, pediatric psychiatrists, tutoring or schools. You can call or text owner Liz to ask for referrals at 602-329-1347.