Art for Health

Students with Special Needs

Art for Health
Art for health is a joint venture between art therapy professionals, medical
health experts and VCUarts Qatar Community and Continuing education
Program. The research-led project explores the potential power of art in
support of mental health. The program will reach out to different groups every
season.

Fall 2020 version would focus on the effect of Arts on students with Special
needs.
The project consists of three entitles:

- Research
Little is known about the effectiveness of online art therapy internationally, and
there are currently no quantitative studies of expressive arts therapies in the
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Museums (arts and cultural activities) are
playing an increasing role in public health in the UK and elsewhere with the
advent of social prescribing (community referral) to promote inclusion among
marginalized groups and vulnerable individuals. Qatar’s extensive museums
offerings can likewise be utilized for mental health improvement.

- Artist Training Program (Theory and Practice)

Art Therapy experts initiate a training program for participants to equip them
with the art therapy techniques needed to facilitate creative workshops for
students based on their needs.

- Creative Workshop (for students with Special Needs)

The practical part of the Training program is lead by the program participants
while being supervised closely by art therapists while they set up a safe
environment enabling workshop students to share uncomfortable feelings,
learn new skills, take risks and learn how to explore different art materials. For
the session to be therapeutic, the participant needs to feel accepted and free
from judgement.
Artist Training Program
Working with Special Needs
(Theory and Practice)

This fall the program will focus on children 14-18 with Down’s Syndrome and
their parents to help them with their general well-being and sense of inclusion.
This is an excellent opportunity for participants who might be exploring future
Art Therapy, Art Education, Arts Management, or Arts Public Policy careers. The
children’s program will be in Arabic.

Participants will be trained and supervised in arts and health theory and
practice by licensed Art Therapists from Qatar, the UK, and UAE, and will
additionally receive training in teaching skills, online telehealth, working with
special needs persons, and developing their art skills to benefit the
community. Artists will receive constant feedback and debriefings to improve
their skills. Research will be conducted on this program by an interdisciplinary
team from VCUarts Qatar, WCMQ, and the National Health Service (UK) and
participants may have the opportunity to join future research projects.

Each participant will have the opportunity to design and lead their own session
activity with the children which incorporates their personal art making practice
to meet the needs of the children and parents. Artists will work in pairs, and
also assist with each other’s sessions, and co-lead a session with an
experienced Art Therapist. The program will conclude with an online art
exhibition showcasing the children’s art and the community artists’ work as
well in response to the experience.
Artist Training Program
Program Roadmap
Theory Module

Workshop
Classes
Presentation

Sept 14th 2020 Oct 5th Nov 23rd 2020

Sept 23rd 2020 Dec 2nd
Sept 21st 2020 Nov 18th Nov 25th 2020

Creative workshops Assessment Exhibition

Practice Module
Artist Training Program
Program Outline
Theory: The training program will kick off with an educational
course, where participants meet and engage with experts from the
field. Program instructors will equip participants with the needed
knowledge to build a workshop using art therapy techniques for
students with Down’s syndrome.

Dates: • Orientation and introduction to the program, boundaries

Sept 14th 2020 (distinguish art therapy from arts in health;
Sept 23rd 2020 facilitator/participant boundaries), supervisory structure and
roles, facilitators brainstorm their proposed session with
Time: trainers
Week 1: • Best practices in telehealth (software tools, safety,
6 pm -8 pm confidentiality, consent, communication, online
Week 2: engagement). Role play scenarios
6 pm - 9 pm • (Experiential I: Theory): what is Arts in Health, definitions and
examples, artist’s role in community health
Days: • working with Down’s Syndrome children (training provided
Monday and by Bestbuddies and Qatar Down’s Syndrome Association
Wednesday • Meet and Greet the participants (Bestbuddies) (This class is
only one hour.)
Classes: • Participants pilot test their proposed session for 20 minutes
4 sessions with debriefing and critique

Schedule
Sept 14th – Sept 21st 2020
Educational Course

Sept 23rd 2020

Final Presentation
Artist Training Program
Program Outline
Practice (Creative Workshop): the second section of the course
will provide participants a chance to facilitate the workshops they
have built in the first section, interacting with students of special
needs, while being supervised by experts.

Dates: • 2 weekly groups – 1 mixed gender, 1 female only; 9 children /

Oct 5th 2020 group
Dec 2nd 2020 • 90-minute group, 60 minutes of participant activities and 30
minutes debrief
Time: • Program Mentor meets once a week for 60 minutes with the
5 pm -6:30 pm whole group
Participants pilot test their proposed session for 20 minutes
Days: with debriefing and critique
Monday and
Wednesday
Schedule
Classes: Oct 5th – Nov 18th , 2020
5 sessions Workshop

Nov 23rd - Nov 25th , 2020

Assessment

Dec 2nd , 2020

Exhibition/ end of program celebration
Artist Training Program
Facilitators
Michelle Dixon, AThR
Michelle has worked as an Art Therapist for the last ten years, and completed a
Masters of Art Therapy at La Trobe University (Australia). She is registered with the
Australian, New Zealand, Asian Arts Therapies Association (ANZACATA). Michelle
specializes in children within the hospital environment, working across Oncology,
Chronic Illness, Palliative Care / Bereavement and Family Violence. She has worked at
Sidra Medicine for the last 2.5 years, and established the Art Therapy service within
the Child Life Team. Michelle maintains an active art practice, participating in
previous art exhibitions ‘Play + Flow’, ‘Exquisite Corpse’, ‘The End’.

Natalia Gómez-Carlier, MAAT, ATR-BC

Natalia is a Psychologist with a Masters Degree in Art Therapy from the School of the
Art Institute of Chicago. She is the founder of the Colombian Art Therapy Association,
and she has taught University level courses with more than 20 years of clinical
experience providing culturally sensitive interventions in Bogota, Chicago, New York,
Muscat and Dubai.

Sara Powell, AThR

Sara is from the UK and is the founder of ATIC Psychological Counselling Centre. She
has a MA in Art Psychotherapy from LASALLE university Singapore, and is a registered
member of ANZACATA. Sara has 10 years clinical experience. She specialises in
supporting children and young people and in the development of early intervention
services. Sara published author, and her latest publication is centred around Medical
Art Psychotherapy from a local context published in 2019.

Mariam El Halawani, MAAT, AATA, ATR

Originally from Egypt, Mariam was born and raised in Dubai. Mariam attended the
American University of Sharjah to complete a Bachelor of Arts in communications and
a minor in psychology. She received her art therapy training from New York University.
She is an Art Therapist at the ATIC Psychological & Counselling Center and a member
of the American Art Therapy Association, New York Art Therapy Association, and the
Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism

Alan S. Weber, PhD

Alan has taught the Medical and Health Humanities–including the history, philosophy
and sociology of medicine and Islamic Medical Ethics at Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar
for the past fourteen years. He helped to establish the first cross-disciplinary Art-
Medicine undergraduate course in the Arabian Gulf at VCUQ and WCMQ (with
colleagues Amy Andres, T. Himsworth, and Stephen Scott, M.D.). He conducted the first
interventional educational trial on the use of graphic novels in medical ethics
teaching in 2015. He has organized and Co-Directed nine ACCME-accredited
workshops on the medical humanities at WCM-Q.

Rania Abou Ghaida

Rania Abou Ghaida is the Program and Activities Researcher at the Qatar chapter of
Best Buddies International in Doha, Qatar. She is an active participant in the Down’s
Syndrome community.
Artist Training Program
Responsibilities + Outcome
Commitment:
1) Attend all training program classes (10 hours)
2) Participate in 3 Workshop sessions – in groups of two, one artist leads an
activity, the other assists. All sessions will have an Art Therapist present. You will
also co-lead a session with an Art Therapist. (6 hours)
3) Develop and lead a session activity and assist with another activity
4) Create response art and keep process notes (time varies)
5) Participate in mentoring feedback meetings (3 hours)
6) Participate in digital exhibition - you may exabit your own response art (2
hours)

42 hours total commitment or approximately 2 hours per week

Outcomes
1) Develop participants’ teaching skills.
2) Learn to deliver art education and telehealth in online environments
3) Refine your own artistic practice, or take your art in a new direction
4) Meet a vital demonstrated need in the community – special needs persons
and their families have limited programs for their well-being
For more information please contact:
Community & Continuing Education Program
Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar
PO Box 8095, Doha, Qatar
www.qatar.vcu.edu
vcuqcommunity@vcu.edu | P +974 4402 0631