At the annual ADEC Conference, I had the opportunity to speak with Sharon Strouse of The Kristin Rita Strouse Foundation and discuss with her ways to deal with grief after losing a child.

Sharon is also the author of a book called Artful Grief: A Diary of Healing. Using her book, anyone can create their own collage and begin the process of moving through grief.

In the video below, Sharon shares how to use art therapy to heal.

Here are some key takeaways from the video:

• Sharon lost her daughter to suicide on October 11, 2001. About a year after losing her daughter, Sharon started making artwork.
• Sharon is an art therapist by trade, but this is what it took for her to figure out that she should be doing what she offers to others. She started by sitting down one night and making a collage, and her whole world changed.
• If you’re bereaved, as Sharon was, you can get started with art therapy by gathering simple materials like a magazine, a glue stick, and a piece of paper.
•  Sit quietly and ask yourself what you’re really feeling and what’s really going on. Flip through the magazine and the images will appear, the words will appear, and they will meet you right where you are. It’s wonderful tool to help yourself let go and dive deeper into your feelings.
• You need to make the effort to set the time aside to do this. Give yourself this time and a whole other world will open up. It’s a magnificent way of healing, Sharon says.
• Sharon’s book is all about her process and how she has used her process over the years. Sharon also suggest visiting her website at www.artfulgrief.com to look at images of the process she explains in the video. Looking at the images you’ll see anyone can do this.

For more video interviews like this one, please see the Open to Hope YouTube channel