Art Therapy in the Community Center
I worked for a week at a Community Center for women and children. The Center is just a short walk from the refugee camp. It is a safe haven for these women.. They have tea, conversations, take off their hijab and relax. They do their laundry. They laugh, cry, dance, and they have a few hours of reprieve from being inside the Camp.
Myself and one other volunteer from our team are Mental Health Therapists. Both of us brought projects, mine was an art project with instructions to use the art medium inside the circle to represent how they feel and on the outside of the circle represent what helps keep them strong. Each project represents a person and a story which I was privileged to hear via one of the women who volunteers as a translator. And the women thanked me over and over again for asking them how they felt and listening to their stories.
Some stories (I am giving them English names and not mentioning their countries):
Sally - struggles with night terrors. She wakes up terrified after dreaming of being in the sea. I was able to give her some ideas to relax, some explanation about what is happening in her brain, and encourage her.
Cindy - I saw Cindy 3 days. On Day 3 she came in jumping and hugging me because she received the much hoped for "blue stamp" meaning she will move on to Athens. Please pray for Cindy and her family. They have their blue stamp but there were English instructions (which they cannot read) informing them of the necessary documentation. This documentation is not available to them, it is in their country of origin so I am not sure if her hopes will be dashed or if they will be granted asylum and reunited with Cindy's mother and sister who reside in another European country.
Carole - She is about 14 or so. Her drawing led me to suspect that she is clinically depressed. Through translator I found that she believes all her family's problems are her fault. I was able to help her understand that the problems are NOT her fault. I hope that this truth will sink in and help her out of depression.
Jacinda - She is probably about 12. Her picture was of people falling into the sea in dark colors. A very faint pencil drawing of a rescue boat was barely visible. Clearly Jacinda's brain was "stuck" in witnessing near death and fear of for her own survival. I asked her "what happened next" and everyone was rescued - both those that fell into the sea as well as the entire boat of people. I asked her to draw the rescue. Then I asked "what happened next" and she said "We got to the land and got dry clothes and some food". I had her draw the safe landing. I hope that even that short amount of time I spent with her can help her brain just a little in getting "unstuck" from the horrors of the ocean.
Karen - She is an older woman, looks in her late 60's or early 70's. She has blood cancer and won't be able to get to a doctor for treatment until she gets the right "ticket." This could take months. I had no words. I quietly sat by her with my hand on her back while she wept. Her gestures to me during the rest of the day made me realize that in some small way she felt cared for.
Amy - She is a bright young woman in her early 20's. She has an upper level University degree and speaks English impeccably with all the nuances. I discovered she shares my faith and told her I would pray for her to get to a new home. She asked me to pray for her Mother and Sister (also in the Camp) to know Jesus.
Paula - She is a refugee and has offered herself as a translator at the Center. She works tirelessly 5 days a week, while caring for her 18 month old baby, and is a tremendous help to all the volunteers. Her work gives her a sense of purpose and daily respite from the Camp. She dreads the weekends when the center is closed.
I could go on and on with stories but I'll stop here. I don't even know how to begin to process my feelings and how this has impacted me but as the weeks go by I don't imagine these precious women will leave my heart.
#All4Aid
@All4Aid
By Kathy
I worked for a week at a Community Center for women and children. The Center is just a short walk from the refugee camp. It is a safe haven for these women.. They have tea, conversations, take off their hijab and relax. They do their laundry. They laugh, cry, dance, and they have a few hours of reprieve from being inside the Camp.
Myself and one other volunteer from our team are Mental Health Therapists. Both of us brought projects, mine was an art project with instructions to use the art medium inside the circle to represent how they feel and on the outside of the circle represent what helps keep them strong. Each project represents a person and a story which I was privileged to hear via one of the women who volunteers as a translator. And the women thanked me over and over again for asking them how they felt and listening to their stories.
Some stories (I am giving them English names and not mentioning their countries):
Sally - struggles with night terrors. She wakes up terrified after dreaming of being in the sea. I was able to give her some ideas to relax, some explanation about what is happening in her brain, and encourage her.
Cindy - I saw Cindy 3 days. On Day 3 she came in jumping and hugging me because she received the much hoped for "blue stamp" meaning she will move on to Athens. Please pray for Cindy and her family. They have their blue stamp but there were English instructions (which they cannot read) informing them of the necessary documentation. This documentation is not available to them, it is in their country of origin so I am not sure if her hopes will be dashed or if they will be granted asylum and reunited with Cindy's mother and sister who reside in another European country.
Carole - She is about 14 or so. Her drawing led me to suspect that she is clinically depressed. Through translator I found that she believes all her family's problems are her fault. I was able to help her understand that the problems are NOT her fault. I hope that this truth will sink in and help her out of depression.
Jacinda - She is probably about 12. Her picture was of people falling into the sea in dark colors. A very faint pencil drawing of a rescue boat was barely visible. Clearly Jacinda's brain was "stuck" in witnessing near death and fear of for her own survival. I asked her "what happened next" and everyone was rescued - both those that fell into the sea as well as the entire boat of people. I asked her to draw the rescue. Then I asked "what happened next" and she said "We got to the land and got dry clothes and some food". I had her draw the safe landing. I hope that even that short amount of time I spent with her can help her brain just a little in getting "unstuck" from the horrors of the ocean.
Karen - She is an older woman, looks in her late 60's or early 70's. She has blood cancer and won't be able to get to a doctor for treatment until she gets the right "ticket." This could take months. I had no words. I quietly sat by her with my hand on her back while she wept. Her gestures to me during the rest of the day made me realize that in some small way she felt cared for.
Amy - She is a bright young woman in her early 20's. She has an upper level University degree and speaks English impeccably with all the nuances. I discovered she shares my faith and told her I would pray for her to get to a new home. She asked me to pray for her Mother and Sister (also in the Camp) to know Jesus.
Paula - She is a refugee and has offered herself as a translator at the Center. She works tirelessly 5 days a week, while caring for her 18 month old baby, and is a tremendous help to all the volunteers. Her work gives her a sense of purpose and daily respite from the Camp. She dreads the weekends when the center is closed.
I could go on and on with stories but I'll stop here. I don't even know how to begin to process my feelings and how this has impacted me but as the weeks go by I don't imagine these precious women will leave my heart.
#All4Aid
@All4Aid
By Kathy
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