We bring art therapy to Lighthouse Children’s Hospice in Moscow

We are proud to announce that as of September 2020 we have been helping to provide art therapy to children and their parents at one of Russia’s leading children’s hospices, The Lighthouse Children’s Hospice. Initiated and fully funded by ArtSocial, this project will run in collaboration with the Centre of Psychology and Art Therapy ‘SAMO’. 

The Lighthouse Children’s Hospice cares for children between the ages of 2 and 18 who travel from all across Russia for specialist treatment. With a main focus of caring for terminally ill children, the hospice offers treatment to patients with severe disabilities and teaches parents how best to care for their sick children. It is currently one of only four specialised children’s hospices in the whole of Russia. 

Terminally ill children and their families are amongst those in most need of specialist psychological support. Living with a terminal illness – or a terminally ill loved one – causes a huge amount of trauma. Parents of terminally ill children are often left feeling powerless and depleted of energy, and siblings can feel that they are loosing out on a normal childhood because of a focus on the ill child.

At present, psychological support is not fully integrated into the hospice’s everyday care. After identifying a desperate need for therapeutic practices, ArtSocial and Centre of Psychology and Art Therapy ‘SAMO’ are offering art therapies that aim to reduce the stress and anxiety of patients and their family members. Through creative activities, we aim to improve the participants motivation and energy levels as well as helping to relieve difficult emotions. The therapists will also teach parents creative activities to practice with their child that will not only keep them entertained but also contribute towards better mental health.