Resilience Through Art

While Schneider Children's was preparing to receive the returned captives from Gaza, the Educational Center in the hospital decided to continue their activities in art therapy and paint Schneider in shades of hope in order to strengthen and raise the resilience of the patients and staff. The unique exhibition was created by children in Department E (Crisis Intervention) and was initiated and led by Riki Levi, an art teacher in the department. She was assisted by Merav Vertzberg, head teacher in the department and Tami Taher, head nurse.

As part of the undertaking, each one of the artists, who included hospitalized children and staff members, selected a photograph that touched their hearts, and using a projection and magnification technique of painting, created a large, powerful and impressive artwork. The department transformed into an active studio where one could feel a sense of partnership, unity and reinforced bonds between the staff and the children in the department, while each participant gave personal expression to the idea of hope. 

Maskit Gillan Shochat, Director of the Educational Center at Schneider Children's, said that "due to the challenges and daily complexities endured by the children in the department, dealing with art represents a strong and empowering domain and allows children to focus on their healthy side. The staff underwent a similar process mainly during the weeks that, in addition to their normal duties in the hospital, they took part in the treatment of children who had returned from captivity in Gaza, and through their artistic attempts, they succeeded in processing the experience in their own time. 

"The artworks that were selected as a unifying and bonding tool between the children and the multidisciplinary professional staff resulted in a moving, colorful and powerful display. The bold tones, the vibrant hues, and the compositions filled with imagination created a positive and optimistic atmosphere that provided a welcome distraction from the difficulties with which we are all coping. The exhibition invites viewers to observe the artworks and experience moments of hope that convey a prayer for better, quieter and safer times in our country."

The Department of Pediatrics E (Crisis Intervention) at Schneider Children's provides a unique framework for children and youth aged 6-18, who suffer from psychiatric disorders which requires comprehensive therapy, but not necessarily hospitalization in a psychiatric hospital. The team of therapists in the department include psychiatrists, nurses, psychologists, teachers, a physical ed teacher, dieticians, movement, drama and art therapists and more.