Incorporating Art into Pediatric Mental Health through Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS)
Team: Leslie Miller, Cami Burruss, Day Hospital (DH) multi-disciplinary team of physicians, psychologists, occupational therapists, nursing, trainees
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Pediatric psychiatry currently provides intensive, multi-disciplinary care for youth experiencing worsening mental health symptoms. Youth may particularly struggle with perspective taking, effective communication, and dialectical thinking, which can lead to dysregulated emotions and behaviors, manifesting in depression and anxiety.
The team hopes to enhance pediatric psychiatric care by incorporating Visual Thinking Strategies, a facilitation method that supports communication and collaboration through visual art. While Visual Thinking Strategies has been used in school systems extensively, it has not been a part of pediatric patients’ mental health care in any setting—especially in the acute setting. Through funding from this microgrant, the Day Hospital team will train two physicians in Visual Thinking Strategies and begin weekly sessions.