On this weblog put up we’re sharing with you a narrative from artwork therapist Emily Grabo. Emily Grabo is a Board-Licensed Registered Artwork Therapist (ATR-BC) and Licensed Skilled Counselor (LPC) within the state of Ohio specializing in pediatric medical artwork remedy, grief and loss, substance abuse, and trauma knowledgeable care. She graduated from Ursuline School in 2014 with a Grasp of Arts in Artwork Remedy and Counseling. She has been proudly serving households, youngsters, and employees because the Artwork Remedy Coordinator at Akron Kids’s Hospital in Akron, OH since 2017. This put up is a transcription from a livestream we did with Emily, get pleasure from!
Story from Akron Kids’s Hospital
“I feel tales are such a robust option to share experiences and to essentially assist educate individuals about all types of issues, and significantly about Expressive Therapies.”
“This can be a story about slightly lady that I met early on at Akron Kids’s Hospital, most likely again in 2017-2018. This explicit younger woman was nearly 4 years previous and he or she was very sassy and really strong-willed. She was recognized with Neuroblastoma. After I first met her, we actually labored to do a variety of issues that may simply be enjoyable and type of construct rapport and belief.
If you come to the hospital, your entire world modifications, particularly with a prognosis of Neuroblastoma. You’re then being advised that you simply’re going to have issues like chemotherapy, nurses which might be poking you, individuals which might be touching you and listening to you.
You’re not likely in management
I feel rising up, we frequently educate youngsters that your our bodies are your personal and also you’re in management over your physique. Then it’s significantly surprising to be thrown right into a scenario the place impulsively you’re not likely in management over your personal physique and persons are telling you how one can care on your physique. They’ve to the touch you, to hearken to your coronary heart they usually want to have a look at your surgical wounds. And so impulsively your physique doesn’t precisely really feel like your personal.
And so, a variety of what we did collectively was actually about giving her management and giving her decisions as a result of within the hospital she didn’t have a variety of management. She didn’t have a variety of decisions as a result of a lot of her life was being managed.
The remedy course of
“After I consider this little lady, I consider glitter and let me let you know, we used glitter most likely nearly each session.”
It was attention-grabbing how she was typically very quiet and I might marvel to myself if I actually was connecting with this little one. I might suppose:
She at all times mentioned sure to our periods and he or she let me come again.
She’s open to concepts that I’ve.
We’d use artwork to offer slightly little bit of that energy again to her, so I might supply glitter, paint, and a variety of issues. When she was right here, I might see her each admission and we might have our artwork remedy periods collectively however once more, she would stay simply very quiet.
Typically it was simply her and I, these could be the instances that her mother would really feel comfy that she might step away. We’d work and I might watch her use the supplies. She would get actual type of messy generally and we’d need to reign it in slightly bit. I would supply slightly little bit of containment and slightly little bit of construction when she wanted it.
Issues and Revelations
Till at some point, she was within the hospital and he or she had a complication from her therapy. Sometimes within the hospital, I work from a seek the advice of record so just about I normally know the place someone is within the hospital. So, I used to be conscious that she had a room change and observed she was within the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
I puzzled why she was not on the oncology flooring.
I then went off to see a special affected person however observed that I used to be getting paged. So, I got here again to my workplace and I checked out my pager and it was a nurse from the Oncology unit asking that I name her again. I then known as again and he or she advised me,
“This little lady was transferred to the PICU. I feel you realize her and he or she is simply beside herself frightened that you simply received’t have the ability to discover her within the hospital.”
I used to be really slightly bit stunned by that initially. I knew she was saying sure to our periods and I had hoped that she was getting one thing from them however once more, she was so quiet. She hardly mentioned a phrase once we had been collectively. And so I believed to myself,
“Oh! Let me run right down to the PICU and I’ll go test on her!”
So, I did. And that’s one thing that I take into consideration lots that actually caught with me.”
Half 2 of this story is coming quickly! Thanks for studying!
