Children Coping With Surgery Through Drawings: A Case Study From a Parenting Class

Abstract

This case study illustrates how parents can help their children cope with the fear and pain of surgery by engaging them in expressive drawing. As part of a parenting class that utilized art therapy techniques, a father shared his 6-year-old son's spontaneous drawings that had been created directly before and after surgery. Through guidance by the author and in dialogue with others in the class, the father reflected on his son's experiences expressed in drawing and received support from other parents within an empathetic learning space.