Open Art Therapy Youth Grief Support Group - Yorktown Family Services
Illustration of art supplies

Program Details

For youth ages 14-18 who have experienced the death of a parent/primary caregiver, or sibling.

Tuesday April 21st - May 26th
5:00-7:30pm
6 weeks

Location: West End of Toronto

  • Light food provided
  • No previous art making skills necessary
  • Pre-registration required by April 16th
More Information and Registration

What is an Open Art Therapy Youth Grief Support group?

This group centres on the use of creativity and art materials as a way to explore grief.
Over the course of 6 weeks, you will have a space where your grief can be expressed, acknowledged, explored, discussed, seen, and heard, in the presence of other bereaved peers who have experienced something similar.

What is an Art Therapy & Grief?

  • Grief is complicated and sometimes we don’t have the words to describe a complicated experience. You don’t have to have it all figured out. Making marks on paper or canvas is where we start.
  • Grief and art are both dynamic and ever changing. Art making allows us the flexibility to meet our emotions where they’re at on any given day
  • Art therapy can build our capacity to be with our grief, offering a new way “in”, where we’re in control
  • Art provides us the ability to zoom into, or create distance from our grief, offering perspective and
    reflection.
  • Art therapy is not like art class. It focuses on the process of creating, not necessarily the final product.
    Disclaimer: You don’t have to be “good at art”. Art making can offer a non-judgmental practice, to hold us in our grief over time.
  • Art making can serve as a tool for self-expression, self-care, coping, or meaning making
  • A springboard for conversation, connection to self, or others
  • Transforming emotion into a final product, or learning how to use materials can also feel good!

What to Expect

This group will run in an open group format where you can “drop-in” for weekly, art-focused sessions.

Here’s a brief look at what a typical session will look like:

5-5:30 pm Food
5:30-5:45 pm  Check-in
5:45-7:00 pm  Art Making
7:00-7:15 pm  Show & Share (optional)
7:15-7:30 pm  Check-out

Rolling registration:

Individuals can attend all, or certain weeks depending on theme.

Previous attendees can signup by Monday before group.

New registrants must sign up no later than the Thursday before group.

Weekly Themes

Week 1 (April 21st): Meeting my Grief
An invitation to get to know your grief, or get to know it better. Participants will be invited to create a character or meme that depicts their grief through exploratory Art Therapy prompts.
Week 2 (April 28th): Grief Masks
An invitation to explore different facets of your grief. Participants will be invited to decorate a mask depicting the grief feelings they show, and the feelings they keep to themselves. Plus: Communal Activity to offer and receive different ways to cope with grief.
Week 3 (May 5th): Grief Journey
An invitation to explore what grief felt like in the past, what grief feels like presently, and what grief may feel like in the future. Participants will be offered options to create a Grief Zine, try Blackout Poetry, or letter writing as a way to explore their grief narrative.
Week 4 (May 12th): Expectations vs. Reality of Grieving
Participants will be invited to visually explore the myths and misconceptions of grief through a series of self-reflective prompts.
Week 5 (May 19th): Layers of Connection
An invitation to explore the layers that comprise your connection to the person who died, such as memories, wisdom, complicated feelings, and so forth. Participants will be invited to visually discover these layers through decorating puzzle pieces.
Week 6 (May 26th): Building your Community
An invitation to lean into what you’re needing in your grief, to learn your own “grief language/style”, and what support looks and feels like for you. This helps us get closer to finding “our people” in grief. Growing with Grief Youth Advisory Council members will join our session, and share about their own lived experiences.
More Information and Registration
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