PUEBLO, Colo. — Colorado is making strides when it comes to the mental health of our teens. Different programs inside and outside of schools are to thank for the progress.
This summer, Pueblo Community College and The Boys and Girls Club of Pueblo County are offering free classes and activities to youth in Pueblo. This month, teenagers were invited to participate in a free art class. It's called the “Art in Me” workshop.
The instructor leading the class is an art therapist with over 20 years of experience using art as a tool to help children's mental health.
“Art saved my life,” said Katherine Reed.
When her brother died, Reed said she felt emotionally stuck.
“I didn't have any way to understand that trauma as a 17-18-year-old, until I got my sketchbook open and started making art about it,” said Reed.
Reed said art helped her to heal.
“Because it helped me so much to make meaning out of something that seemed meaningless, I am graced with this gift that I can share that with other kids,” said Reed.
Reed created an art therapy program at Children's Hospital Colorado. For the past 20 years, she has worked with teenagers struggling with mental health issues.
She said activities like drawing, coloring, and painting can help support mental health therapy and can even prevent problems before they start.
“So, to be in a community of other teenagers and actually normalize the concept of talking about feelings, expressing those feelings, and then having the power to turn those feelings into art, that is powerful in and of itself,” said Reed.
She said art empowers kids to find their voice and to allow them to be exactly who they want to be.
“Knowing that they have a voice that matters. They have a perspective that matters, and people want to hear those words and those expressions. We want to see the artwork that is made that matters what they think, that's what I want them to take away,” said Reed.
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