Media: Found Objects
Population: Children
Condition: Separation anxiety
Cell phone photography is, fortunately, so accessible and at our fingertips almost all the time. That made it possible for me to capture an interesting arrangement of found objects which I encountered on a walk with my mom, who I hadn't seen in 11 months. The arrangement caught my eye for being made up of so many different objects, clearly purposefully placed, in an unexpected place. My imagination was ignited by the many different possible stories and meanings for the arrangement. Being such a novel moment, the photograph brings back very clear memories of the person I was with and what we were doing.
Whereas my found object was left in place, found objects as a therapeutic tool may take many forms. A client may bring something meaningful into a session or a therapist may offer a collection of objects for consideration. Photographs or drawings could be made of these items or they could be used in an ephemeral assemblage that is meant to be taken apart. The found object may be considered individually or as one element of a composition. All depends on the goals of the client.
I think that found objects may be of specific usefulness when working with children with separation anxiety. The creation of transitional objects in therapy may help children suffering anger and anxiety around separation clarify their sense of self and externalize the need for constancy (McCullough, 2009). Taking this a step further, having a child with separation anxiety choose an extant object which they can imbue with meaning and alter in any way they wish may reduce their feelings of loss of control.
References
Courtney McCullough MPS (2009) A Child's Use of Transitional Objects in Art Therapy to Cope With Divorce, Art Therapy, 26:1, 19-25, DOI: 10.1080/07421656.2009.10129306
