On Thursday nights, after dinner but before bed, the meeting space on the family floor at Samaritan House turns into an art studio. The iconic shelter, known for offering refuge and support to families, women and veterans, becomes a sanctuary of creativity and connection, where art therapy classes bring families together in the most unexpected ways.
Kalynn Webster is the therapist for the families living at Samaritan House. She first introduced the art therapy sessions a couple of months ago, not knowing how well attended and received they’d be. The hope was that whether through paint, clay or mood board—families at the very least had the opportunity to walk through their creations with each other.
“It’s an opportunity for families to get to know us a bit more and learn what activities could be helpful when they’re sitting down and doing art with their kids in their own time. At the end of the day, we want to meet them where they are at, even if they are on different levels of their healing journey.”
It’s especially helpful for families with children who are non-verbal. One of the women who frequents the class has a five-year-old with autism. While creating a mood board at the last session, her daughter’s face lit up when she found stickers and magazine cut-outs that represented how she felt and what she likes.
“We love coming. It’s been great for us, but we also love doing this with the other families that live here. It’s a way for us to connect and bond over what we’ve been through.,” Paola is a shelter associate at Samaritan House who’s been assisting on these nights and helps prepare for each project. Even with the sometimes-limited supplies, the Samaritan House team gets creative. The artwork they create together is hanging on walls throughout Samaritan House. The Samaritan House team’s approach is never one of strict instruction, and Kaylynn doesn’t require those seeing her for therapy to attend. Instead, she offered gentle guidance, encouraging families to work together, to explore and share, while also fostering an environment where no one feels pressured to produce something “perfect.” The goal, Kalynn always emphasizes is connection: within your family, and within the community.
That said, many of the families that attend the classes do take advantage of Samaritan House’s behavioral therapy. But for those that don’t, the art classes are a good introduction to get acquainted. As they work together, the initial hesitance therapy fades and conversations bloom.
Since the program started, families say they now look forward to Thursday nights in the Samaritan House art studio. The room becomes a safe haven where they explore feelings of grief, anger, hope and joy through paint, clay and other art forms and with one another.