Critical Action Plan

Art Therapy in the Guardian Ad Litem Program

Jennifer Furr
University of Florida

Contemporary Issues in Art Education

ARE6641
March 29, 2015

Issue

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Critical Action Plan

Art therapy is currently not a service offered in Crestviews Guardian Ad Litem (GAL)
program. This would be a beneficial service for the children in this program. In addition to the
issue of no art therapy services, there are currently a limited number of volunteers involved in
the citys GAL program. According to Matthew Brown, in the Crestview News Bulletin:
Guardian Ad Litem, a non-profit, volunteer-based, state-operated organization,
works on behalf of foster children or children placed in another home due to court
intervention. The program coordinates with the Florida Department of Children
and Family. Due to the limited number of volunteers, GAL cannot reach as many
children as they would like (Brown, 2013, para.2).
My main goal with this critical intervention is to bring art activities to the GAL program,
for therapeutic benefits with the children. I would also like to help bring awareness to the
community of GALs volunteer shortage. Finally, I would like to help find a way to recruit more
people for their cause.
Research Findings
Numerous sources provide information about the benefits of art therapy. The most
important finding I discovered was in a quote by Terry Pifalo, in Art Therapy with Sexually
Abused Children & Adolescents: Extended Research Study:
Art therapy cuts to the chase in a way that talk therapy alone cannot because art therapy
does not rely strictly on a verbal mode of communicationThe visual nature of traumatic
memory, the concrete, graphic approach of art therapy, and the underlying structure of the
cognitive behavioral approach create a powerful, efficient, and effective treatment model
within which to achieve the goals of trauma-focused therapy (Pifalo, 2006, pp.181-185).

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Critical Action Plan

Children that go through the GAL program have been involved in

extremely traumatic experiences. According to Joy D. Osofsky, in the article
Developing Trauma-Informed Approaches to Children in Courts:
In order to understand and respond appropriately and sensitively, it is
important that all child-serving systems, including juvenile courts,
become trauma-informedmeaning that judges, lawyers, CASA
volunteers and guardians ad litemunderstand and respond to the role
that traumatic experiences may play in emotional, social, cognitive and
physical development of children (Osofsky, 2015, para 2).
Art therapy is a type of therapy that bases its approach on trauma
informed practices. As mentioned in the prior quote, Guardians ad litem
should be informed of the role that traumatic experiences have on childrens
development. During training, GALs are given this information, but my
question is this: Would it be even more effective for GALs to use a practice
that is completely trauma informed to help them connect to and gather
information on the children they are providing services for? Would art
therapy, even in the form of a quick activity during each session, help
children express themselves and deal with their trauma more completely?
According to Cathy Malchiodi, in the article When Trauma Happens,
Children Draw, childrens art gives a window into their traumatic
experience:

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Critical Action Plan

Non-verbal modalities such as drawing are effective because of the

impact that trauma often has on language. Language, a function of
declarative memory, is generally not readily accessible to trauma
survivors of any age after a traumatic event. In particular, Brocas
area, a section of the brain that controls language is affected, making
it difficult to relate the trauma narrativeBecause trauma affects mind
and body, creative expression may be an important piece in trauma
intervention, including the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder
(Malchiodi, 2008, para.4).
Malchiodi explains in a different article, Five Components of
Trauma-Informed Art Therapy and Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts
Therapy, how art therapy not only helps with trauma intervention,
but with trauma recovery, too:
Trauma informed art therapy is based on the idea that art
expression is helpful in reconnecting implicit (sensory) and
explicit (declarative) memories of trauma and in the treatment
of PTSDIn particular, it is an approach that assists childrens
capacity to self-regulate affect and modulate the bodys
reactions to traumatic experiences in the earliest stages to set
the stage for eventual trauma integration and recovery
(Malchiodi, 2014, para.3).

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Critical Action Plan

Since GAL advocates are required to be educated in trauma

informed practices, it seems only natural that art therapy, or at
least art activities, should be a part of their existing program.
Expression through art is an effective way for children to both
communicate and overcome their traumatic experiences. Children
are able to express feelings, emotions, and memories through their
art that they are often not able to express verbally.

Action Plan
My plan is twofold : Part 1 involves recruitment of volunteers for the Guardian Ad Litem
program, and Part 2 involves implementing art activities as a means of expression and
therapeutic release for children in the program. According to Joanne Fritz, in the (2015) article
3 Ways to Recruit Volunteers for Your Nonprofit, there are three main ways to find volunteers:
warm body recruitment, concentric circles recruitment, and targeted recruitment (para.2-6). My
suggestion to the GAL program is to try the targeted recruitment approach. To target recruits, I
suggest recruiting Psychology, Social work, and/or Art majors from the nearby Northwest
Florida State College. Many college students need volunteer hours, and practical experience for
their programs of study. Working with the GAL program would give them that experience, while
they provide a valuable service, as well.
Part two of my action plan, the implementation of art activities for children, is simple. I
created a website, http://therapeuticartresources.weebly.com/, where volunteers will obtain a

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Critical Action Plan

quick, easy art lesson just by clicking on a link. After doing a few lessons, volunteers would most
likely want to start researching their own lessons, especially art majors. College art students
would possibly have ideas of their own they would like to try, and would bring plenty of
enthusiasm to the program. GAL would never run out of volunteers again, as long as college
students needed volunteer and/or practicum hours. A partnership with NWFSC to further this
initiative might be necessary.

References

Brown, M. (2013, April 24). Crestview Guardian Ad Litem raising awareness April
28.Crestview News Bulletin. Retrieved from
http://www.crestviewbulletin.com/news/government/crestview-guardian-ad-litemraising-awareness-april-28-1.132246
Fritz, J. (2015). Recruiting Volunteers - Three Approaches. Retrieved from
http://nonprofit.about.com/od/volunteers/a/recruitvols.htm
Malchiodi, C. (2008, May 7). When Trauma Happens, Children Draw: Part I | Psychology Today.
Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/arts-and-health/200805/whentrauma-happens-children-draw-part-i

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Critical Action Plan

Malchiodi, C. (2014). Trauma-Informed Art Therapy | Cathy Malchiodi, PhD. Retrieved from
http://www.cathymalchiodi.com/art-therapy-books/trauma-informed-art-therapy/
Osofsky, J. (2015). JP 9 Osofsky-National CASA - CASA for Children. Retrieved from
http://www.casaforchildren.org/site/c.mtJSJ7MPIsE/b.8173515/k.980C/JP_9_Osofsky.ht
m
Pifalo, T. (2006). Art Therapy with Sexually Abused Children and Adolescents: Extended
Research Study. doi:10.1080/07421656.2006.10129337