A recent press release from the Meningitis Trust, a meningitis charity located in the United Kingdom (UK), describes a new free art therapy service that is available nationwide for young adults and children affected by meningitis. The following is from the Meningitis press release and reveals more about the free service:
Meningitis can strike in an instant and leave a devastating trail of after-effects. The Trust found that children impacted by the disease who were unable to express themselves through other therapies such as counselling, have valued art therapy. It has been proven that art therapy enables those who have had a traumatic experience to communicate with trained therapists, and learn to cope with a sudden, and sometimes devastating, change in their life.
The service is provided across the UK by a network of professional art therapists who registered the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). Initially clients are offered six one hour sessions and more may be made available if necessary. Sessions take place in a warm, confidential, safe and friendly environment.
The new service is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication and is an alternative way that clients are able to express themselves.
Bridie Taylor, Services and Education Director at the Meningitis Trusts, says, “Everyday we work with people who are struggling to cope with the impact of meningitis. We see first-hand the trauma that the disease can cause to an individual, their family and even a whole community. We are here to offer support and information to anyone affected by the disease and we don’t want people to suffer in silence, therefore art therapy is a suitable alternative service for those who wouldn’t benefit from other services we offer”.
The Meningitis Trust believes that as many as 500,000 people living in the UK today have had either viral or bacterial meningitis. That means in an average size town with a population of 250,000 people, around 2,000 residents will have had some form of meningitis. Every year, there will, on average, be another 36 cases.
More than 20,000 people are helped by the Meningitis Trust each year through a range of FREE professional support services. These include, a freephone 24-hour nurse-led helpline (0800 028 18 28), counselling, home visits, one-to-one contact and community support. The Trust also funds more than £170,000 every year in financial support grants and distributes millions of leaflets, posters, symptoms cards, information sheets and other materials which raise awareness of meningitis.
Those who are interested in the art therapy service can call the Meningitis Trust’s freephone 24-hour nurse-led helpline (0800 028 18 28) to discuss this service. There is no time limit to when you can access the service.
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