School-Home Support practitioner Tracey runs a weekly art therapy group with children she supports in Bradford. This session has become an essential time for the children to express their worries and feelings in a safe space with Tracey, who has built a trusting and supportive relationship with them.
Recently, Tracey did a special project with the children, where they had the opportunity to draw their own worry monsters. These monsters became a way for the children to visually express their worries, and were individual to each child. Noticing how proud the children were of their creations, and understanding the value of them to the children’s wellbeing, Tracey found someone who would be able to make up the children’s worry monster drawings into real toys.
Enabled by funding from the Canbrick Trust to support mental health and wellbeing activities for the children we support, Tracey commissioned the toys to be handmade. At the end of the sessions, she was then able to give each child their very own worry monster toy to take home, a real life version of their drawn creations! It has been fantastic for the children to have something physical to take home and to help them to process their anxious feelings.
Working directly with children and their families, our practitioners understand the challenges impacting children’s mental health and wellbeing, and the things that will support them to build the resilience to overcome them.
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