Grove School announces expansion of art therapy program

The Grove School, a co-educational, therapeutic boarding and day school for adolescents in grades 7-12, is pleased to announce the expansion of its art therapy program and to welcome Elizabeth Ferguson, an art therapist, to its clinical department.

"At Grove School, we are committed to providing students with clinical services that help them overcome their individual social, emotional and learning challenges," said Richard Chorney, President and CEO.  "If there is a therapy available that can help our kids, then we want to be part of it.  We are excited to expand our comprehensive milieu approach to employ an art therapist and hope to offer other creative arts therapies, as well.  For now, though, our focus is on establishing Art Therapy and we are delighted to have Elizabeth Ferguson to help us with the process."

Ferguson holds a Master's Degree in Art Therapy (MAAT) from Albertus Magnus College and a BS in psychology with a minor in studio arts from Trinity College, Hartford.  She previously served as an art therapy intern at Grove School and worked with a number of the school's students to complete her Master's Thesis in art therapy.

Art Therapy is the therapeutic use of art making.  It is where visual art and psychology coincide and is used to help people with varying needs from specific emotional or physical challenges to those who wish to gain insight and personal growth.  Grove School's program consists of individual art therapy, as well as group art therapy.  The program is also a training site for art therapy student interns.  "I think everyone can benefit from art therapy," Ferguson said.  "For some, the art making itself offers relief from other stressors, while for others the imagery produced can release rich psychic material that leads to self knowledge and insight.  At the end of the day though, it's the relationship and the rapport and I feel really lucky to have the opportunity to work with Grove School's students."  At Grove School, Art Therapy is a complement to more traditional talk therapies as well as recreation therapy.  Ferguson works as a part of the students' clinical teams along with the other Grove clinicians.  

The establishment of a permanent Art Therapy program underscores a year of significant improvements to the school which have included the improvement of the physical campus with the completion of the Alice Chorney Education Center, as well as breaking ground on two other new buildings.  "It's been a year of exciting, positive change for the school," Chorney said. "We hope it will translate into even better care and treatment for our students – our number one priority at Grove School."