The Role Of Artistic Expression In Mental Health Support In Schools.

MY BACKGROUND

I’ve been an art teacher for almost 30 years in southwest London. I did my degree in Illustration (with Sarah, The Arty Teacher) and then went on to do my PGCE in Secondary Art and Design.

I love teaching art and right from the beginning, I saw how the pastoral side of school life was inseparable from the art room. Pupils would naturally open up and talk whilst they were working. I would hear about their family life, friendships, worries and difficulties. I became a pastoral and safeguarding lead and continued to head up the art department.

I moved schools and continued my work in Art and Pastoral Care. I trained as a Mindfulness teacher, an ELSA and a mental health first aider.

As the years went by, my thirst to know more about mental health and psychology grew, and COVID was the catalyst I needed to push me into something new. I dropped being head of department, went part time and trained in psychodynamic counselling. I currently teach art and  PSHE, and lead on emotional support for pupils alongside my teaching. I have a small private therapy practice outside of school.

ART AND MENTAL HEALTH

We could name a plethora of artists throughout history who have struggled with their mental health and have used their art as a cathartic vehicle. Van Gogh, Munch, Rothko, Kusama and Emin amongst others, have communicated their depression, anxiety, isolation, and trauma through art.

In my emotional support work with children, art remains an important and relevant way to communicate, when words are either too scary or unreachable.

The squiggle game is a great way of building collaboration and trust. There are no rights or wrongs. And turning scribbles into strange creatures or vehicles is great fun.

For children struggling with low self-esteem, I give them a blank template of a body shape, and they slowly fill it with all the things that represent them – not just the ‘positives’ either. Colour, line, font and position become a meaningful way of exploring identity.

Comic strips can work well for pupils who have had difficult experiences but struggle with verbal descriptions. One young boy I worked with made book after book which told the tale of the conflicts he was experiencing at home. And for those children holding a lot, a drawing of a head with its lid flipped open, can invite them to draw all the things that are troubling them.

I am lucky enough to work in a school that gives me free rein with my environment. I have painted the room I work in to be visually stimulating. The children have helped me, and they have enjoyed seeing me work creatively and cope with mistakes, too.

When I meet with parents, I often recommend stocking up on art supplies for home. iPads are often seen as ‘the cleaner option’. Whilst technology has an important role to play, nothing can replace the sensory satisfaction children get when using real materials like paints or pastels. Being caught in the flow of drawing or painting is very different to being caught up in the frantic engagement with a computer game.

This is art as a therapeutic tool,  not art therapy. It encourages emotional expression, stress reduction and personal growth. Art created can be something to treasure or a fleeting image that only lasts thirty minutes. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that children use art to communicate how they feel, in a unique and important way, and feel better for doing it.

Fleur Tattersall

I’ve been sharing my love of art with students in southwest London for almost 30 years, ever since completing my degree in Illustration and PGCE in Secondary Art and Design. Over the years, my role has grown beyond the art room to include pastoral care, mindfulness, and emotional support, as I trained as an ELSA, mental health first aider, and psychodynamic counsellor. Today, I blend teaching art and PSHE with supporting pupils’ wellbeing and running a small, nurturing private therapy practice.

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