Art Project encourages children of Van to heal

Organized by psychotherapists and psychologists, Van Art Therapy Project aims to heal children of earth quake with art. The project lasted for five days in Van between July 2-6 and currently the works the children created are on display

The Van Art Therapy Project took place between July 2 and 6, and is now preparing to exhibit the resulting works at the ENKA Eşref Denizhan Open Air Theater on July 13. The art project aims to address emotional reparation, relief, and recovery through the therapeutic art-making process for earthquake victims in Van, Turkey.

Throughout the week of July 2 to 6, the Van Art Therapy Project provided four daily structured and directive-based art therapy groups for children. In addition to the children’s art therapy groups, two adults groups were offered to provide mindfulness and psycho-education for adult caregivers.
The Van Art Therapy Project worked in partnership with VAKAD, Van Kadın Derneği (Van Woman’s Association). The team of volunteers included art psychotherapists and psychologists who work professionally in the United States and Turkey.

A written statement about the project said: “On Oct. 23, 2011, an earthquake in the Erciş-Tabanlı-Van area killed at least 534 people, injured an estimated 2,300, and destroyed or damaged 14,618 buildings and homes. Natural disasters such as this have life-altering consequences that continuously disrupt the lives of survivors. Empirical research on earthquake survivors indicates that experiencing such trauma affects not only a survivor’s socioeconomic status but their mental health as well, often resulting in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or depression.”

According to the psychologists and art therapists on the team, art therapy intervention can provide the opportunity for survivors of the 2011 earthquake to attend to their mental health needs.