June 30, 2009, 2:49 pm

Therapist Annie McCall and I conducted an intensive Chill & Spill training for staff at Sound Mental Health in Auburn for two days, with 24 therapists in attendance! This training was different than any we had done before, as we had additional time to get more in-depth.

Annie went over each page, diving into those that would have the deepest and most meaningful impact for the youth they served, focusing mostly on foster care youth.

Cigar boxes became the base for three different artistic expression activities: “Powerful/Powerless,” “I Really, Really Feel” and “My Place” from Chill & Spill. The front of the box was collaged by things that made them feel Powerful – the back contained images of things that made them feel Powerless. The inside front cover held a letter they wrote to themselves inspired by the prompts in “I Really, Really Feel,” to be opened at a later milestone date (such as a birthday). The inside became a found object collage that represented their safe place.

One of the therapists told us, “This was by far the best workshop I’ve attended in helping to provide for youth!”

Casey Family Programs sponsored this training and the result will be a Chill & Spill outreach group for foster care teens and ‘tweens in the Auburn area over the next year.

June 25, 2009, 7:08 am

I am pleased to announce a partnership between Art with Heart, Casey Family Programs and Sound Mental Health (SMH)  to benefit foster care youth, ages 13-18 through the Chill & Spill program.

Sandra Lippincott, LMFT, manager of the Counseling Services in the Auburn office is excited about the partnership and wrote,

“Chill & Spill’s therapeutic goals of reducing symptoms of trauma, building resilience and coping skills, and promoting good-decision making techniques are right on target for these youth who have often experienced trauma leading up to their out-of-home placement. Reducing their symptoms of trauma will help them heal from the circumstances that led them to out-of-home placement…

“For teens, which may be reluctant to engage in typical ‘talk therapy,’ we see Chill & Spill being a more effective way to work with them therapeutically. We are particularly excited about the value of using this curriculum in a group setting [because] it fosters a sense of belonging and community and fosters skills of interaction and communication that come from being part of a group… And serving this population through groups will allow SMH to reach more youth, more quickly.”

Casey Family Programs is underwriting this collaboration in order to help address the gap between the ever-growing number of foster care youth and age-appropriate mental health services and available practitioners.

Once the training is complete, SMS staff will offer the “Chill & Spill” program in 8-week sessions on an ongoing basis, up to 6 times a year, helping up to 60 youth per year through the Auburn office.

June 23, 2009, 9:53 am

Kelly Huggins, L.C.S.W., Hospice Social Worker & Bereavement Coordinator at Heartland Hospice in Illinois wrote today to say, “I just want to say thank you for the wonderful work you do, seriously fabulous.  It warms my heart.”

Thank you Kelly! It warms our hearts to know the difference we are making! Thanks for writing!

June 12, 2009, 12:48 pm

city of ember online download Last year, Art with Heart was blessed by Barbara Brown, who is a professional in the film industry (former script supervisor for Northern Exposure). She told her colleagues about Art with Heart and asked them to donate their time while she directed the shoot for our 2008 fundraising video.

Over a four month period, she and her crew followed us as we talked to youth who had gone through our programs, families who had been affected by our work, as well as professional mental health care workers who saw the value in our work.

She called today to let us know that the video won a Silver Telly Award in the fundraising video category – the highest award they grant. The Telly Awards receives over 13,000 entries annually from all over the world and annually showcases the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, etc.

Special thanks also to the volunteer team who made it all possible: her husband Neil, along with Guido Ronge, Mark Anderson, Angie Bernardoni, Christina Ratcliff, Steve Colgrove, Bob Marts, David Wulzen, Vincent Gates, Mary Anne Dorward, and the folks at Clatter & Din.

Watch the Art with Heart video here!

Pictured above: Barbara (Babs) Brown, Maria Strauss and father Doug Strauss.

June 11, 2009, 3:23 pm

On Saturday, Jeff and Linda Baker, hosted a very touching and wonderful party in honor of Bruce Tyler, our past (and first) Board President. Bruce passed away last year from complications from his diabetes, something he struggled with since he was 12 years old. His struggle gave way to a deep compassion for hospitalized children, and he worked tirelessly on their behalf through Art with Heart’s outreach tools and programs.

Our hostess, Linda, is a new board member and is dedicated to not only helping us with our marketing efforts, but also with raising funds for the Bruce Tyler Youth Fund , a fund which will support our ongoing work to help children struggling with health issues. Her annual goal is $10,000 to support this important work and to honor Bruce’s legacy. We have $6,300 to go!

, 3:12 pm

Wow!
Chill & Spill has made it to New Zealand! Check out this catalog (or “catalogue”) from Skylight, a national not-for-profit charitable trust that supports resources for children who have been affected by change, trauma, loss and grief.

They found us through an online search and are now our distributor for caregivers and other mental health professionals in New Zealand. This means we are helping children who are 7,230 miles away! Amazing…

, 2:59 pm

We received this feedback in the mail today from a boy in Burlington, Washington, who received our Magnificent Marvelous Me! book from a therapist at Catholic Community Services (click on it to enlarge).

The book supports their work with children who are dealing with difficult family issues. The smiley face reflects how he felt after he finished the book!