A portion of the Foundation’s gift for 2016-2017 was allocated to both upgrade the furniture in one of our Child Life Playrooms, as well as to purchase a new air-hockey table. Child Life Playrooms are safe havens where children can leave their room and engage in therapeutic psychosocial activities with their Child Life Specialist.
The ‘Henrik Lundqvist Foundation Art Therapist’ helps people of all ages and abilities make sense of their experience in the hospital and express their thoughts and feelings in an alternative and non-threatening way. Children who are hospitalized may experience fear, anxiety, and a perceived loss of control. Art Therapy allows children to express themselves and can help make the hospital environment more manageable. A session with a licensed and board-certified art therapist offers children an opportunity to make choices and gain control in an environment where they don’t always have that option. The Art Therapist works with children and families to alleviate anxiety and depression, decrease stress, improve coping, manage pain, and help patients and families process psychological and emotional difficulties related to mental illness, medical illness, trauma and loss. The Art Therapist often receives over 1000 unique requests for her/his services in a year.
