The power of painting
Chloe, Youth Practitioner, Glasgow
Tiana, aged 16, was found by British Transport Police on the tracks, intending to end her life.
“At our first meet-up, Tiana wasn’t communicating with me,” says Chloe, one of our youth practitioners in Glasgow. “It was clear she was struggling to cope with her feelings or even understand them. But I knew Tiana enjoyed art, and so I came up with a plan.
“At our next session, I took along paper, paints and paintbrushes and we identified different symbols and colour that we could use to represent complex feelings and emotions. Tiana and I then started painting.
Giving Tiana the chance to express herself creatively was a great tool for communication. It helped inform Chloe’s support and helped Tiana gain insight on how she was feeling.
Using her art as the catalyst, it became much easier for Tiana to talk about what she was finding difficult in her life and what she wanted to change.