Individual Art Therapy with Hospice Clients and Their Loved Ones in a Hospital Hospice Program

Without sufficient support and treatment, losses may result in chronic grief, complicated bereavement, .suicidal ideation and traumatic stress. To address these needs, the Zen Hospice Project has chosen to provide individual art therapy services on both a long term basis and as crisis intervention. Art therapy facilitates the expression of thoughts, feelings and fears associated with grief. The creative process of art therapy assists movement through the grief process while supporting clients in managing the impact of loss. This grant will identify many therapeutic benefits of art therapy with bereavement and grief and explain why such a program is imperative. Art therapy is a respected and well documented form of treatment and healing intervention especially effective with issues of grief and loss. The cost of this one year program will be approximately $34,861.77