A crucial part of treatment at Kerr is the Art Therapy Program. Many of the children are reacting to abuse and trauma they endured before they could speak so conventional talking therapy is of limited help. The art works are part of the process of healing; they are valuable aids for each child’s therapist to see where they can help most effectively.

The program offers painting, wood working, drawing, the use of “found” objects in collages and, the most popular activity, ceramics. The art therapist helps identify children who can most benefit from the program and helps each child deal with emotions and memories as they surface.

Children who are agitated leave calm. They experience success, sometimes for the first time. The focus on art gives them hope and helps transform chaos into organization. Through making art, a child can develop a sense of pride and independence, taking responsibility for both the process and the art product. The program is offered in groups of 5-6 children and also within individual therapy, with two sessions each week.

History: The Art Therapy Program was a ground-breaking new tool to help traumatized children when it first began at Kerr in the late 1990s. A classroom with a potter’s wheel and art supplies was in huge demand but, in 1999 was converted to a basic classroom to accommodate the growing student body at Wynne Watts School. The community rallied behind Kerr to raise more than $45,000 for a permanent Art Therapy Center which opened in 2000. Each year this program is funded entirely by private donations.