Laura-Rose Gee, who is currently studying Creative Expressive Arts, Health and Wellbeing at the University of Derby, joined Safe and Sound to deliver six workshops that aimed to encourage and enrich healthy relationships between family members through the use of creative arts. 

Laura-Rose has a passion for making the arts accessible and beneficial to the well-being of all ages. Her passion is to connect and increase the self-confidence of others and has a wealth of experience delivering therapeutic art sessions to vulnerable people.

The workshops that Laura-Rose devised were tailored specifically to the need of the families. The aim was to increase the self-confidence of each individual and allow creative self-expression through different art forms. The main focus has been to encourage positive behaviour and improve respect, communication skills and emotional wellbeing which resulted in improved family relationships. 

All the activities were designed to be fast-paced and included music, drama, art, movement, and mindfulness. The workshops, all based on working together, included projects of poetry, storytelling, creating art, writing music and nature-based activities. Laura-Rose facilitated a positive reward activity, enabling each family member to create origami butterflies and their own butterfly catcher to take home. Acts of kindness and positive behaviour were acknowledged with a butterfly which could be kept in the personal butterfly catcher. 

Art Therapy Mental Health Awareness Week

Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison said: “It has been fantastic to see the positive influence Laura-Rose has made on a family’s home environment through creative art therapy. We have seen a great improvement in communication and self-confidence of the young people Laura-Rose has engaged with and we are looking forward to working with more families.”