0 Begun in 2002, The Art Room program in the UK is aimed at children between the ages of 5 and 16 who have been identified by their teachers as needing emotional and behavioural support. Currently there are nine Art Room programs in UK schools and more than 10,000 children have been through the Art Room program since it started.
In a study recently published in the journal The Arts in Psychotherapy, researchers found that children emerged from the 10-week Art Room program with less depression, fewer behavioural problems and improved self esteem.
The study analysed responses to questionnaires for 169 students in the program and their teachers before and after the 2012-2013 school year. Based on teacher responses, students improved in all areas. There was a 41 percent reduction in emotional problems, a 15 percent reduction in conduct problems, a 33 percent reduction in hyperactivity, a 41 percent reduction in problems with classmates and a 24 percent improvement in social behaviour. On the children’s part, there was a notable drop in depression symptoms. Before the program, 16 students (22 percent) had been classified as depressed. After the program, less than 4 percent qualified as depressed.
