Art with Heart
Art with Heart is a charitable 501c3 nonprofit organization that has helped over 41,000 children through the healing power of creativity.
Our books and programs support the mental health of fragile populations at times of crisis, such as after a diagnosis of cancer, a natural disaster, or the tragedy of a school shooting.
The need for Art with Heart’s therapy-based books and programs is driven by the approximately 17 million children in the U.S. alone that are experiencing special health care needs or mental health disorders.
Art with Heart reaches high-risk children, who have little or no control over their life circumstances and have the least access to mental health support.
Please visit http://artwithheart.org to learn more!
Description:
Art with Heart supports the emotional health of high-risk youth through art therapy-based activity books and programs that promote self-expression, self-awareness and self-esteem. We also provide training for educators, social workers, therapists, volunteers in youth-focused organizations, and all others who want to incorporate the healing power of creativity into their work.
Art Therapy-Based Activity Books:
OODLES OF DOODLES is a therapeutic activity book that was designed specifically for hospitalized children (ages 6-16) and promotes therapeutic distraction, self-expression, stress relief, and encouragement. To date, Oodles is used in hospital settings worldwide, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation regularly uses the books as part of their outreach to newly diagnosed patients.
CHILL & SPILL is a guided therapeutic journal that was designed to help teens and 'tweens (ages 10+) dealing with heavy emotional burdens due to various stressors that can range from family dysfunction to natural disaster, from poverty to violence, among others. The twenty activities are based on cognitive behavioral, narrative and art therapies, and are each followed by blank pages for exploration of feelings. After Hurricane Katrina, school counselors utilized the journal to help kids who were dealing with PTSD. Chill & Spill is currently being used in school counseling groups, foster care programs, after school programs, residential treatment facilities, and numerous other places where it fills a need. (See below to read about Chill & Spill Workshops for youth care workers)
MAGNIFICENT MARVELOUS ME! is an therapeutic activity book that was created to help meet the emotional needs of siblings (ages 10 and under) of children with serious illness or disability, or other difficulties. It was designed to decrease the sense of isolation that many siblings in this group feel, to increase self-esteem and communication, to give them a safe place to explore and work through their complex feelings, as well as to help build resiliency and coping skills.
Chill & Spill Workshops:
Chill & Spill workshops are geared toward educators, social workers, therapists, volunteers in youth-focused organizations, as well as individuals seeking personal enrichment. As a caring adult, you will be empowered to connect with youth through the gift of your own creativity using Art with Heart’s therapeutic journal, Chill & Spill (http://artwithheart.org/books)
During this 2.5 hour training, you will learn how to:
- focus on the process rather than the end product of art making
- emphasize self-expression, not just technique
- use Chill & Spill as the foundation for hands-on activities
We will model what an actual art-making session with a youth could be like using the Chill & Spill curriculum, in order to strengthen your confidence in various artistic media, as well as, different activities from the book.
Please visit
http://artwithheart.org/events/ to see the workshop calendar and download a registration form (which you can submit via email or fax).
History:
Art with Heart was established in 1996 as a community outreach branch of the Seattle Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA), and became a 501(c)3 organization in 2003 in order to develop new projects to serve a greater number of children and youth through creative and therapeutic endeavors.
Contact people:
Main office number:
(206) 362-4047Office fax number: (206) 277-7836
Address:
 |
P.O Box 94402
Seattle, WA 98124-6702 |
Web Site: http://www.artwithheart.org
Directions:
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Various locations depending on workshops |
Miscellaneous Information
| Liability |
|
Yes
|
| Does your organization welcome court-ordered community service volunteers? |
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No
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| Does your organization have volunteer positions for youth 12-18? |
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No
|
| Last updated on February 11, 2009 |
