Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center

Art Therapy

At Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center, The Faris Foundation Art Therapist helps children and their families cope and adjust to their hospital experience, from a new diagnosis to medical treatment.

Art Therapy is an integrative mental health profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through the clinical, evidence-based application of art and creative processes within a therapeutic relationship (American Art Therapy Association, 2017).

Since art naturally connects to how children relate and communicate about their world, art therapy can provide a safe and developmentally appropriate way for children to navigate the world of the hospital.

From painting, collage, mixed media and digital media, art therapy offers creative tools and interventions through creative expression that aim to achieve the following goals:

• Provide opportunities for creativity and self-expression
• Promote relaxation and pain management
• Increase positive self-esteem and resilience
• Develop healthy problem-solving and adaptive skills
• Foster peer support and a sense of community in the medical environment
• Decrease stress and anxiety related to illness experience
• Improve cognitive and sensory-motor functions
• Facilitate legacy-building and memory-making