Working as the Arts and Healthcare Program Coordinator for the only hospital within city limits that delivers babies keeps Sarah Colby pretty busy. The Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s Teen Pregnancy Center is one of only two clinics in the entire St. Louis metropolitan area that offers comprehensive programming to expecting teen mothers in education, developmental and medical care.

Colby has witnessed and been inspired by the impact of Art with Heart’s therapeutic journal Chill & Spill has had on teens, and in result is “ordering them like a lunatic” to ensure that she always has a backup supply. She attests that the unique journaling process aids in providing a transformational experience for pregnant teens; as they work through feelings of shame, articulate the journey they are on, and turn their fear into celebration.

In an environment where much of the daily interaction is about vital signs and questions like, “Did you take your vitamins?” or “How are you feeling today?” – books like Chill & Spill acknowledge the psychological dimension of the teens’ health and well-being and allow them to delve into their feelings.

The journal process is often a private one.  As Colby states, ”sometimes they share, sometimes they don’t”, but the acceptance and openness that the process fosters for young moms-to-be instill confidence and self-awareness that has proven to be invaluable.

One of the most positive effects that Colby has noticed since introducing the Art with Heart curriculum is the buy-in from her staff.   Chill & Spill has made tangible the positive impact of patient reflection to otherwise skeptical hospital employees.  ”If the staff doesn’t own it or engage with it,” says Sarah, “its not going to happen.” Yet, she has found that when effective resources such as Art with Heart’s therapeutic books are provided, “others will gather around it and give it life.”

So what’s the next arts-inspired project to be born out of the Teen Pregnancy Center? Belly casting is due out next year.

Tags: Art with Heart, Chill & Spill