Battling separation anxiety

Art therapy in a pediatric setting can be effective in helping children exp ress their feelings about their physical condition, their separation from t heir home and family, and being in the hospital. Art therapy served as an a venue of communication for Mary, a four-year-old pediatric patient hospital ized for a broken leg that required a body cast. Mary was away from her fam ily, struggling to deal with the pending arrival of a new baby in the famil y, and frightened by the medical procedures she was required to undergo. Th rough the use of a phenomenological approach, Mary had the opportunity to e xpress her feelings through her artwork, thereby supporting her treatment.