C.W. Post Art Therapy Students Lend a Helping Hand
October 22, 1998 -- Students in the Clinical Art Therapy Program at
the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University are helping children enrolled
in the Sagamore Children's Psychiatric Center in Dix Hills by organizing
a mural to be permanently installed at the Center.
According to Professor Christine Kerr, clinical coordinator of internships
at C.W. Post, the three-and-a-half week October project entails meeting
with the residents, organizing the mural specifications, implementing the
mural, and promoting an effective therapeutic alliance with the children
participating in the project. The mural, which is being designed by students
in Professor Kerr's "Introduction to Art Therapy" class, represents
the interests and lives of the children in Sagamore. It includes three
panels measuring 60 feet wide by 20 feet high and features colorful scenes
of children performing their favorite activities in all four seasons of
the year, from skateboarding in the summer to skiing in the winter.
"The residents are extremely excited to see something they thought
of transformed into art, and our students are gaining a preliminary idea
of what it's like to work with kids in a positive and supportive manner
while creating something of lasting meaning," said Kerr, who noted
that the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, located in Brookville,
is the only university on Long Island with an undergraduate Art Therapy
program.
An emerging discipline, art therapy uses the media of painting, sculpture
and drawing to develop a therapeutic alliance between therapist and client.
The art helps people express difficult and uncomfortable feelings which
they often have difficulty expressing verbally. "These non-verbal
media arts become a way of relating very dynamically with a client who
can then express himself in a way he thought he couldn't do," said
Kerr. "For the children at Sagamore, the art helped increased their
sense of self esteem and identity so that they could resolve their issues
in a positive way. For the C.W. Post students, they learned about the power
of art, working positively with kids and how to be role models. They walked
away with the additional understanding that art therapy is not only about
developing a private practice but also about giving back to the community."
For additional information about C.W. Post's Art Therapy program, contact
Professor Kerr at (516) 299-3510.
For more information call the C.W. Post Public
Relations Office at (516) 299-2333 or e-mail pr@cwpost.liu.edu
or send mail to: Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus, 720 Northern
Blvd., Brookville, New York 11548-1300.
