| This thesis explores the utilization of art therapy with children orphaned by AIDS in Zimbabwe, and children affected by the December, 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka. The 12 million children in sub-Saharan Africa who have lost parents to AIDS suffer grief at a multi-faceted level, and little to no attention has been given to their overwhelming emotional concerns, including ostracism, poverty, and abuse. In Sri Lanka, over 30,000 people lost their lives when the tsunami decimated coastal areas. The child survivors witnessed horrific trauma, and the loss of loved ones, but had not been given ample opportunity to express their grief and pain. Art therapy served as an effective cross-culturally applicable means of emotional expression and psychological intervention for groups of school-age children on both continents. Not having been given a chance to express their grief and trauma previously, the children readily opened up their lives and voiced their pain through non-threatening art therapy tasks such as "my favorite day/worst day", "the day I will never forget", "tell me a story", and "life books". |
