Art Therapy For Grief & Loss
Experiences of grief and loss can be painful and bring up feelings of confusion, anger, regret, loneliness and many other emotions. Art therapy can help you process these feelings and allow space for healing.
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Grief is a complex emotional response to loss, which can come in many different forms: loss of a loved one, job loss, physical illness (self or loved one), childhood abuse, death of a pet, and more.
The experiences of grief may impact your ability to complete daily tasks, interact with others, build new relationships, and prioritize physical well-being and self-care. Each individual experiences the impacts of grief and loss differently and processes it in their own unique way.
Art therapy can help support you through the mourning process and foster healing.
Book a free consultation with an art therapist. We can help.
How Does Art Therapy Help With Grief And Loss?
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Grief and loss can bring up many different emotions and responses, which can be difficult to express verbally at times. Through art-making, you can express these experiences in an external tangible form, and provide an outlet for these emotions and experiences.
In one study with bereaved children (Green et al., 2020), researchers found that art therapy helped increase positive affect and had a reduction in negative affect. Other studies have shown how art therapy can help adults in grief recovery.
While grief can be a painful experience, the support of an art therapist can help you process difficult emotions and move towards healing.
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Art therapy can help promote mindfulness and artistic expression, which can be both relaxing and cathartic. Emotions associated with grief and loss can sometimes be intense. Art-making can thus be a useful coping tool to help alleviate and process challenging emotions.
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Loss can impact how you see yourself and your identity. When you lose a loved one, a job, a relationship, or physical ability, these losses can bring up a lot of emotions.
Art therapy can help you process these emotions, redefine your identity, explore other parts of yourself, and create meaning,
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An important part of the healing process in grief and loss work is having a space to remember and reflect on the experiences you had with the person, pet, or experience now lost.
Art therapy gives room to honour these important moments and memories, and make room for healing.
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The healing journey of grief and loss is not linear. It is a complex journey that is unique to each individual. Despite the common wish to simply get over the grief, healing takes time.
Art therapy honours that healing journey and does not rushing through it. Through art-making, you can honour your own journey of healing and be able to see the insights and experiences gained throughout.
About Us
Welcome to Full Circle! We are a non-profit organization founded in 2014. We provide mental health care through individual art therapy sessions, workshops and group art therapy. Our mission is to provide a safe space for people in need of mental health support, by helping them heal through creative processes.
Our team is dedicated to helping people heal and grow, through art therapy and other creative mediums. Please reach out to our team if you have any questions.