Kayla Helenske is a registered Art Therapist and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Join us as she shares what exactly art therapy is and how it can help your child with ADHD or other mental disabilities.

We discuss what art therapy consists of and how it can be more beneficial than traditional talk therapy, how art therapy differs from play therapy, ways it can calm the nervous system, and much more. We also dive into what ages are appropriate to start art therapy as well as how you can find an art therapist near you.

Art therapy allows kids the medium to express pent up emotion without having to say anything. Like the old saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words", and Kayla reassures us that this definitely applies to our children who sometimes have trouble truly expressing what they feel. For those parents who have been curious to find another approach, this is one episode you won't want to miss!

Key Takeaways:

[3:50] What art therapy is and how it's more beneficial than traditional talk therapy

[5:43] Differences between play therapy and art therapy

[10:13] What is the appropriate age to start art therapy and how it benefits kids with ADHD or other mental disabilities

[15:56] Ways art therapy can calm the nervous system

[23:56] How to find an art therapist near you

[26:32] Why Kayla decided to pursue art therapy

How To Connect With Kayla:

IG: @Kaylahelenske

Facebook: Kayla Helenske

website: https://kaylahelenske.com/

Memorable Quotes:

• "What I love about art therapy is that it actually breaks down any verbal barriers and becomes its own sort of language. So we use lines, shapes, and colors to really describe how we're feeling. And I find it to be one of the most effective ways to help kids express their emotions."
• "Art therapy is actually an integrative mental health profession; it combines the knowledge and understanding of human development, psychological theories and techniques, and we combine that all in metaphors and the creative process."
• "One thing about art, you can actually move it out of you and visually look at it. I can draw or paint a picture of all the things I'm holding inside."
• "Instead of just talking about it and asking a kid, 'Why did you do that?', we have the ability to break it down into pieces visually and actually start to see patterns that are coming up for them."
• "In the way that I work I do intertwine meditation, mindfulness, breathing techniques, all those calming skill sets that intertwine so beautifully together to give it a whole holistic approach."
• "An art therapist is specifically trained to use art materials as part of the therapeutic process. And so they know the risks, the benefits of using each material, and have spent thousands of hours working under supervision to learn this process."
• "You can go to the American Art Therapy Association, it's a website, and you can look up different registered therapists near you."

Dana Kay Resources:

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International Best Selling Book, Thriving with ADHD - https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/book/

Free Reduce ADHD Symptoms Naturally Masterclass – https://bit.ly/3GAbFQl

ADHD Parenting Course – https://info.adhdthriveinstitute.com/parentingadhd

ADHD Thrive Method 4 Kids Program - https://adhdthriveinstitute.com/packages/