Using Creativity to Improve Mental Health at a Boarding School for Struggling Girls

Being creative or making art is often looked at as a pastime, not something necessary or helpful–this is a mistake. In our boarding school for struggling girls, we use the creative arts as a way for our girls to express themselves and get in tune with the emotions inside themselves. Many studies have looked into the positive effects of engaging in artistic outlets, such as knitting, painting, drawing, and acting.

How creativity is used in our boarding school for struggling girls

As a therapeutic boarding school for struggling girls, we can’t ignore the healing effects of the arts. For this reason, we’ve built the arts into our students’ lives. At least twice a week, our students are involved in creating some type of art–everything from handwritten expression to the performing arts. Some of the programs our students participate in include:

Newborns in Need

Newborns in Need is a national organization that helps families in poverty with newborns and children. Our students create beautiful, warm quilts for newborns by working with a local fabric artist. This way, they get to not only create something, but help a family in need.

Music Therapy

We frequently use music therapy as a way of helping our girls express themselves in a healthy way. Music–much like nature–has a way of reducing stress and creating a sense of calm. Along with these health benefits, it’s a great way to show our girls patience and practice do pay off. If a student becomes passionate enough, she has the opportunity to take private lessons.

Narrative Therapy Group

We use handwritten expression therapeutically for many reasons: academics, self-expression, and an outlet for difficult feelings. Specifically, we have a narrative therapy group in which our students create and write stories therapeutically.

Other examples of the arts being used therapeutically

We’re not the only place that understands the nurturing and uplifting power of the arts, there are many programs and institutions that use it, too. One that is particularly unlikely is called Arts in the Armed Forces.

Arts in the Armed Forces is an amazing non-profit organization that works to connect the world of soldiers and civilians. The founder of the organization, Adam Driver, was once a soldier and then became an actor–you’ve probably seen him as Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He felt so lost coming back from the battlefield and found that theater helped him work through his emotions–which is why he created the organization. He explained before a performance:

“We’re hoping to show that language is a powerful tool, that self-expression is a powerful tool — it’s just as valuable as any rifle you carry or any tool you can put in your pack.”

Just like Adam Driver, we–as a boarding school for struggling girls–want our students to understand their emotions and cope with them in healthy ways.

Asheville Academy can help your daughter

Asheville Academy is a therapeutic boarding school for struggling girls, ages 10-14, struggling with anxiety, depression, ADHD, and other behavioral or emotional issues. We use the best tactics and therapeutic methods in order to help your daughter reach success.

For more information about how Asheville Academy can help your daughter, call 800-264-8709 today.