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More children on the Crisis Stabilization Unit will benefit from the highly effective, evidence-based holistic art therapy service thanks to a $10,800 grant from the Community Trust Fund of The League Club, Inc. The Crisis Stabilization Unit is an inpatient mental health unit where children experiencing a psychiatric crisis receive brief voluntary and involuntary evaluation and treatment. Children stay an average of three days on the unit.

The grant will allow for the art therapy sessions to be held twice a week rather than just twice a month, nearly quadrupling the number of children who will be exposed to the healing benefits of art.

Art therapy sessions are conducted by an independent registered art therapist and mental health counselor and utilize the therapeutic use of art making to help children who experience illness, trauma or life challenges.

“Artistic self-expression helps children resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, achieve insight, elevate mood and increase self-esteem and self-awareness,” said Mary Ann Guerra, Director of Acute Care and Emergency Services.

The goal of the Children’s Crisis Stabilization Unit art therapy program is to improve the child’s ability to communicate emotional distress, rebuild a sense of trust, decrease sense of isolation, increase self-expression, provide and reinforce emotional regulation skills and increase the child’s sense of well-being while on the unit.

Partnering with The League Club on the expansion of this program will advance our strategic priorities to enhance community collaborations and partnerships, grow child and adolescent services, expand development efforts, and financial resources as well as utilize innovative clinical programming to help more children in need.