ART THERAPY FOR CHILDREN

Art Therapy for Children and Tweens in Gaithersburg, MD

Supporting Children Through Grief, Anxiety, and Life Transitions

When Life Feels Heavy for Families

The world feels a little less safe and predictable when big life changes happen, especially when grief and loss come knocking at the door. Feeling helpless, powerless, or going through your own storm while being a parent, legal guardian, or caregiver to your child or tween can feel like pushing rocks uphill while also carrying the weight of life itself.

You may be doing all you can in survival mode—trying to keep family life moving forward while juggling work, school, and daily responsibilities—and suddenly a tragedy or major life change impacts the entire family.

Your child or tween looks to you for guidance and support. The love and care are there, but you may also feel stretched thin, burned out, or like you need additional support right now to help both you and your child or tween carry these burdens a little lighter.

What You May Be Seeing in Your Child or Tween

When children are struggling emotionally, it is often most visible at home—in their behavior, play, and reactions rather than in words. Parents may notice shutdowns, frequent tantrums or emotional outbursts, meltdowns that feel bigger than expected, more controlling or aggressive play, increased attachment to stuffed animals or comfort objects, or difficulty separating from caregivers. Some children may talk openly, while others struggle to explain what is going on internally.

Children (ages 7–10) and tweens (ages 10–12) are still developing the emotional and cognitive tools needed to make sense of complex experiences. As a result, “big emotions” can feel overwhelming and difficult to regulate. Life experiences such as the death or serious illness of a loved one, divorce, moving, changing schools, or adjusting to a new environment can feel confusing, frightening, or destabilizing to a child’s sense of safety and stability.

When children feel overwhelmed or uncertain, they often communicate through behavior, play, imagery, and creativity long before they can put their experiences into words. What may look like acting out, withdrawal, or regression is often a child’s way of expressing something they do not yet have language for.

When Everything Changed for Your Family

You are doing everything you can to hold things together, and your child still seems lost.

Maybe there was a death in the family. A divorce. A move, a new school, a diagnosis. Maybe life simply got heavier than a child should have to carry. You are managing your own grief and exhaustion while trying to keep everyone fed, on time, and okay, and you can see your child struggling in ways that words are not reaching.

The love is there. The effort is there. You may also be stretched too thin to be everything your child needs right now, and that does not make you a bad parent. It makes you a human one.

What You May Be Seeing at Home

Children and tweens may not say “I am grieving” or “I feel unsafe” directly. They show you instead of tell.

You might be noticing:

  • Meltdowns and emotional outbursts that feel far bigger than the moment

  • Shutting down, withdrawing, or going quiet

  • Clinging or difficulty separating, including attachment to stuffed animals or comfort objects

  • More controlling or aggressive play

  • Sadness, worry, or anger that does not seem to lift

Children ages 7–12 are still building the emotional tools to make sense of hard things. When experiences feel too big, they communicate through behavior, play, and creativity long before they can put them into words. What looks like acting out or regression is often a child trying to express something they do not yet have language for.

Why Support Matters Now

Hard experiences do not simply pass when a child is left to carry them alone. The sooner a child has a safe place to process what happened, the sooner they can build coping skills and resilience that support them now and into the future.

Early support is not about labeling your child. It is about giving them help while the experience is still close enough to be worked through with care and support.

You do not have to wait until things get worse to reach out.

How Art Therapy Helps Children

Art therapy gives children a way to express what they are carrying without the pressure of finding the right words. Through drawing, painting, clay, collage, sand tray, and creative play, children process emotions at their own pace, feel understood, and begin building coping skills that support emotional regulation and resilience.

It is never about making “good” art. It is about expression, meaning-making, and emotional safety inside a caring therapeutic relationship.

The 3 Brushes provides art therapy for children and tweens navigating grief, loss, anxiety, trauma, emotional overwhelm, and major life transitions.

Meet Your Child’s Art Therapist

I am Lindsay Downs, a Licensed Clinical Professional Art Therapist and Board-Certified Art Therapist (LCPAT, ATR-BC®) with over 7 years of experience helping children heal in their own language: art.

I offer in-person art therapy for children, teens, and adults in Gaithersburg and Montgomery County, Maryland, and I specialize in grief and loss.

My work supports children navigating experiences that feel too heavy or complex for words alone, helping them reconnect with themselves, build emotional safety, and move at a pace that feels right for them.

Begin Support for Your Child Today

If your child is struggling with grief, anxiety, trauma, or a major life transition, support is available—and you do not have to figure it out alone.

A free 20-minute consultation gives you space to share what is happening, ask questions, and see whether The 3 Brushes feels like the right fit for your family. No pressure and no commitment.

Book your free 20-minute consultation today.

Serving families in Gaithersburg and Montgomery County, Maryland.

Book A Complimentary 20 Minute Consultation

FAQs

  • Art therapy may support children and tweens experiencing:

    • Grief and bereavement, including the death of a loved one, beloved pet, or service animal

    • Complicated, prolonged, or cumulative grief

    • Anxiety, sadness, or emotional distress related to loss, change, or uncertainty

    • Emotional overwhelm, frequent meltdowns, or difficulty regulating emotions

    • Trauma, stressful experiences, or feelings of unsafety

    • Family stress, divorce, separation, blended family adjustments, or other changes at home

    • Major life transitions, including moving, changing schools, or adjusting to a new community

    • Identity development, self-esteem concerns, and growing self-awareness

    • Struggles with self-worth, confidence, or feeling “different” from peers

    • Difficulty expressing thoughts, feelings, or needs verbally

    • Challenges with peer relationships, friendships, and social connection

    Art therapy supports children and tweens by helping them:

    • Express emotions they cannot yet put into words

    • Process grief, loss, trauma, anxiety, or big life changes

    • Build emotional awareness and regulation skills

    • Feel understood in a different, nonverbal way

    • Develop healthy coping strategies over time

    Many children experience relief simply from having a safe space where they do not have to “explain everything” to be understood.

  • A typical art therapy session may include:

    • A gentle check-in about how your child or tween has been feeling and what has been happening since the last session

    • Depending on their needs, we may begin with an art therapy prompt or directive connected to previous work, treatment goals, or current concerns

    • Many children and tweens choose to continue an ongoing art project or begin with what feels most important to them that day

    • Creative art-making using a variety of materials, such as drawing, painting, collage, clay, mixed media, and sensory-based approaches such as sand tray work, toy-based expression, and narrative play

    • Structured yet flexible support to encourage emotional expression, self-awareness, coping skills, and progress toward therapeutic goals

    • Exploration of emotions, thoughts, memories, and experiences through imagery, symbolism, storytelling, and play

    • Supportive reflection and conversation at a pace that feels comfortable and developmentally appropriate

    • Closing rituals that help children and tweens transition out of session feeling grounded, which may include final reflections, completing artwork, or cleanup together

    Each child brings their own personality, strengths, experiences, and comfort level into the therapy space. Some children settle in quickly and are eager to create, while others need more time to build trust and feel comfortable. Sessions are always adapted to meet each child where they are emotionally, developmentally, and creatively.

  • Why choose art therapy instead of traditional talk therapy or play therapy?

    Children and tweens often do not have the words to explain what they are feeling—especially during grief, anxiety, trauma, or major life changes. Even when they can talk, emotions are often expressed first through behavior, play, and creativity.

    Art therapy provides a developmentally appropriate way for children to express what is happening internally without relying only on verbal communication. Through drawing, painting, collage, clay, and other creative methods, children and tweens can show what they feel in a way that feels safer and more natural for them.

  • Children (ages 7–10) and tweens (ages 10–12) are still developing emotional and cognitive tools to make sense of complex experiences. During this stage, big emotions can feel overwhelming, confusing, or hard to manage.

    Art therapy meets children where they are developmentally by using creativity, imagery, and play as natural forms of communication. This allows them to process experiences in a way that feels more accessible and less pressured than direct conversation alone.

  • How is art therapy different from talk therapy?

    While talk therapy focuses primarily on conversation, art therapy uses creative expression as part of the healing process. This can be especially helpful for children who have difficulty putting their thoughts and feelings into words.

    Why is art therapy helpful for children and tweens?

    For children experiencing grief, trauma, anxiety, or emotional overwhelm, talking alone may feel difficult or incomplete. Art therapy gives them another way to express what they are feeling through drawing, painting, and other creative materials.

    Is art therapy the same as play therapy?

    No. Art therapy and play therapy are different approaches, but they can overlap. Both recognize that children often communicate nonverbally.

    Art therapy focuses on emotions, relationships, and experiences that may emerge through creative expression, storytelling, and symbolic themes—similar to how they appear in play.

  • Working with me is a collaborative and supportive process focused on helping children and tweens feel safe, understood, and not rushed or pressured.

    Sessions are paced based on emotional readiness and may include both creative expression and conversation, depending on what feels most comfortable in the moment.

    For children and tweens, sessions often include art-making, imagery, storytelling, and play-based exploration alongside gentle reflection and conversation. Children and tweens do share their experiences verbally as well and use their words when they want to use them.

    My role as an art therapist is to support clients through grief, anxiety, trauma, emotional overwhelm, and life transitions while helping build emotional safety, coping skills, and resilience over time.

  • You can schedule a free 20-minute consultation by emailing me or calling to see whether The 3 Brushes is a good fit for your child or tween.

    BOOK CONSULTATION CALL

    The consultation is a no-pressure space to ask questions, share what you are looking for, and discuss next steps. I will follow up with available times and days.

    If calling, please leave a brief message with your name, phone number, reason for calling, and the best times to reach you. I typically respond within 1–2 business days, usually in late morning or early afternoon hours between 11am–1pm or 3pm–4pm.