Effective Communication: Foundation Trains Special-needs Students In Art Therapy

The Cope and Live Mental Health Awareness Foundation (CALMHAF) has equipped students with hearing and speech impairments at the Special Education Centre, Ogbete, Enugu, with art-based communication skills aimed at improving self-expression and emotional wellbeing.

The session, which engaged 15 students, formed part of CALMHAF’s year-long mental health and empowerment programme in the school.

Executive Director of the foundation, Rev. Chukwudiebube Nwachukwu, said the intervention, themed “Expressing Me Without Words,” was designed to help students navigate communication barriers in a world dominated by spoken language.

Nwachukwu, a certified mental health practitioner, noted that art offers a potent therapeutic avenue for children who cannot rely on verbal communication. Using canvases, colours and brushes, participants produced personal artworks that mirrored their emotions, aspirations and lived experiences.

“Every student went home with a painting a reminder of their creativity and worth,” he said, adding that global authorities, including WHO, UNICEF and the American Art Therapy Association, recognise art therapy as an effective tool for people with communication difficulties.

According to him, many of the students used colours and imagery to articulate their dreams ranging from professional careers to family aspirations while several who appeared withdrawn at the start became visibly animated by the end of the session.

Teachers at the centre described the transformation as remarkable, noting that some students displayed levels of confidence they had never previously observed.

CALMHAF Co-Founder and child psychologist, Mrs Uzoamaka Nwachukwu, said the team witnessed “silence turning into colour and invisible children becoming boldly visible,” stressing that the foundation’s long-term commitment to the school was driven by the need to ensure no child is left without avenues for expression.

Headmistress of the centre, Mrs Virginia Eze, thanked the foundation and called for art therapy to be incorporated into the school’s regular programmes.

CALMHAF reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the students and staff to ensure that no child, regardless of disability, remains unseen or unheard.