Art therapy and mindful journaling for Right4Children staff

Right4Children recently organized a two-day session on Art Therapy and Mindful Journaling, led by Katy Zoeftig, a British Educator who supports the work of Right4Children, to promote emotional well-being among staff at the Right4Children’s SHE Center and the Friends for Safety Group on November 12 and 13 respectively. The sessions aimed to help participants manage stress, enhance focus, and foster personal growth.

The session started with calming meditation exercises, focusing on mindful breathing to center participants followed by ice-breaker games.  They played four different types of music. Then they made marks and patterns using different pastel colors trying to replicate how the music made them feel. “No one had to be good at art, it’s the feeling of being creative that is more important,” commented Katie.

In the next set of activities, participants were involved in Zentangle — a meditative drawing practice where participants drew patterns using just black pens. The participants were all engaged for about an hour and a half absorbed in their patterns, listening to some music and just mindfully focusing on what they were doing. Then they engaged in a reflective exercise titled What’s Inside Your Mind, encouraging participants to visually express their thoughts and emotions.

Participants during Art Therapy session

“Art therapy can be a useful tool for the SHE Center counselors to connect with beneficiaries from adult entertainment sector (AES) who couldn’t express themselves verbally,” Says Laxmi Gautam, Project Officer - Rehabilitation of Right4Children’s PRAYASS Project. 

Participants immersed themselves in being creative and were oriented not to think about their work or life’s worries. Sanju Gyawali, one of the participants said, “We finished the session with an activity where we drew a large heart and then through pictures and words, created what was inside our heart today, the emotions we are feeling. Then we finished with some more fun games. The sessions were fun and relaxing.”

“The participants find this relaxing and a nice way of bonding as a team, as well as a healthy break from the everyday social work that they're involved in, which can be emotionally challenging at times,” shares Katie. 

Katie explained how mindful journaling can benefit individuals with their mental health, positivity, being in the moment, taking some time for oneself, setting goals, self-care, etc. 

Laxmi further added, “Mindful journaling will help jot down positive and positive events recalling and noting it down. Do not worry about the future or the past bad experience. It grounds the person right then and there in the present moment. These sessions really help us.”

The session helped in getting the ideas for developing Right4Children’s own mindful journal that our staff can use, as well as our AES beneficiaries, potentially our CFS school children etc, shared Laxmi.

On the first day, eight participants attended, while 14 joined the second day’s session.

Indeed, as the world of work evolves, well-being has become a necessity rather than a luxury. Both sessions emphasized the significance of integrating mindfulness practices into daily routines to manage stress and enhance overall mental well-being. Right4Children remains dedicated to supporting its staff through initiatives such as these, fostering a healthy and positive work environment.

For more photos from the sessions, visit our Facebook post.