Art can help people heal. Images of healing fill the art studio at Wellness Place in Palatine. Paper canvases rich with expression and emotion hang from the walls. A lone teardrop rests against a pale yellow sky while yellow and orange flames threaten a neighboring canvas. Drawings and paintings of rainbows, volcanoes, tornados, and flower gardens are all common themes that emerge in this art studio.

The studio resides in the lower level of Wellness Place, a home-like environment that provides programs and services at no cost to cancer survivors, their family, friends, and caregivers. These images have all been created by children whose lives have been touched by cancer. Some of these children have cancer, others have a parent, grandparent, or sibling with a cancer diagnosis. Cancer impacts the entire family: an 8-year-old recently diagnosed with a brain tumor; a 16-year-old attempting to make sense of her father’s terminal diagnosis; a 7-year-old trying to figure out why his mom got the “bad” cancer; an 18-year-old learning to cope with his younger brother’s death. Through individual and group art therapy, these children and teenagers are encouraged and empowered to express their thoughts and emotions and share their stories and experiences.

QB-Art-Therapy.pdf