Creative Arts Theraphy

Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida

At Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, we offer both music and art therapy. These therapies are evidence-based health services in which music and art are used within a therapeutic relationship to support children’s social, psychological, cognitive and physical wellness.

Our Creative Arts Therapy Programs

Our creative arts therapists are Masters-level, board-certified professionals who use art modalities and creative processes to support wellness and health. We’re fortunate to have a lively creative arts program that includes music therapy and art therapy.

Music Therapy

Music therapists are trained to work with your child and family and you don’t need to have any musical experience to participate. During a typical music therapy visit, a music therapist and your child may do different musical activities that could include singing, drawing or moving to music, playing musical instruments, writing music or lyrics or recording music.

How music therapy helps:

A music therapist can make an individual plan for your child based on what is needed. Your child’s nurse may recommend music therapy to help your child to:

• manage pain or anxiety
• gain a sense of control
• be creative
• feel comfortable, calm or relaxed
• focus attention on something else during a procedure
• express feelings, wants and needs
• connect with family and friends
• improve mood

Clinical studies have shown that music therapy has biological effects on patients, such as influencing:

• heart rate
• blood pressure
• respiration rate
• cardiac output
• muscle tone
• skin responses
• immune system
• endorphin production

Art Therapy

Art therapists are trained to help patients and their families use creative expression to deal with the stress, difficulties and pain that can come with a hospital say. No previous art skills are needed — art therapy is about the process of engaging in a creative endeavor to help support emotional health and expression.

In art therapy, children can:

• work on imagery to create a different relationship to their medical issues
• engage in guided imagery to promote relaxation and stress relief
• make a self or family portrait to help understand how they and their families deal with difficulties
onstruct containment boxes
• make collages
• create masks
• create a visual history to look back and see the journey and progress while readying for the future