Art therapy program boosts well-being of Allegheny Valley School District students

Students in the Allegheny Valley School District are turning to art as an additional way to support their mental well-being.

Melissa Holler, the district’s director of pupil services, said the district has implemented an art therapy program. It has done so by contracting with the Pittsburgh Center for Integrative Therapy, using money it received from the state’s Commission on Crime and Delinquency mental health supports grant.

“Art is a second language to kids,” said art therapist and licensed counselor Allyse Rindone. “They learn a language to process things in a more appropriate way so they don’t repeat (negative) behaviors.”

About a dozen students from Acmetonia Elementary School and Springdale High School participate in the program, which started a couple of months ago. Students must have parent’s or guardian’s permission to participate and can be referred into the program either by the student assistance program, parent’s request or staff referral.

“We implemented this program as a way to have therapy for students without having barriers,” Holler said.

Rindone visits the buildings once a week. She spends a half-hour with students individually or in a small group. Students get a different art prompt each session and work with different mediums, including crayons, colored pencils and paint.

One such lesson was drawing a “tree of strength,” where students drew a tree and identified things that help them get through difficult situations on the tree’s leaves.

While drawing, students have an opportunity to talk with Rindone about their feelings and things going on in their life.

“It’s nice because it gives you something to do with your hands,” Rindone said of art therapy. “Sometimes, we don’t have words for the things we’re trying to express.”

Making art can lower blood pressure while also stimulating the brain, Rindone said.

“Sometimes, using art is a good way to process trauma that you might not have the words to communicate,” she said.

Expressive arts positively affect function, mood, cognition and behavior in school-age children, according to a study from the Georgetown Behavioral Health Institute.

Being creative can improve students’ social skills, conflict resolution and coping skills, Rindone said. It also can improve behavior so students can perform better in the classroom, she said.

“Kids learn to express their feelings in an appropriate way,” she said.

There is a wait list for the program next year.

“We’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback from families,” Holler said.