Syrian Refugee Children’s Perceived Sense of Safety Represented in Drawings (N/NY-TR6149)
Papers
Asli Arslanbek-Evci, MA, ATR-P
I am an art therapist graduated from MA Art Therapy program of New York University in 2017. During and after my studies, I worked in adult acute psychiatric setting, residential treatment center and in pediatric center for children with autism. In 2018, I have established an arts based psychosocial support program in a community center in Istanbul which is currently run by supervisors and interns affiliated with Art Psychotherapies Association of Turkey.
Anna Stewart, MA, ATR-P, LCAT-LP
Anna is an art therapist currently working in New York City. Anna graduated from New York University in 2017, and after spending four previous summers running community art therapy groups with Syrian refugees in Turkey, she is happy to co-present the work of her and her colleague, Asli Arslanbek, at the AATA Conference. Her continuing research in the field of art therapy is in supporting children who have been displaced from their homes, whether it be a displacement such as those found in foster care, or, in the case of refugees, displacement by war. The majority of her experience has been with children ages 4-13 offering art as a way to support children in coping with negative socio-emotional behaviors that can result from trauma and displacement. Her work in New York is community-based and consists of trauma-informed services for children who have a variety of trauma histories. Her personal artistic work revolves around process-based collage and painting. She strives to support a visual narrative that highlights issues of trauma, mental illness, socio-economic issues, race, gender and the utilization of art as protest. While encompassing psychodynamic subject matter she encourages her clients to share with the world their beliefs, to challenge stereotypes, and to offer the tools they may need to make their voices heard.
This descriptive study focuses on artwork created over a 4-week period by 24 Syrian children who were living as refugees in Turkey. Using the qualitative research software Dedoose, artworks’ form, artistic qualities, and content are examined to determine how children perceived their lives after resettlement.