In Touch November 2016 | Page 6

Introducing New Children’s Healing Garden We are excited to announce our newest endeavor to serve the northern Colorado community: the Children’s Healing Garden. The Garden will be built on the east side of the building and will be used in collaboration with 3Hopeful Hearts and the Alliance for Suicide Prevention. It is designed to engage children in therapeutic activities that will offer opportunities to use metaphors and symbolism to help children better understand their feelings and cope with the lifedeath cycle. Garden features will include an oversized “bird’s nest” with an “eggs” seating area for one-onone counseling; outdoor seating for group therapy; various paths and crossings of different textures for interaction in narrative play therapy; a memory garden; sand play area; steps for moving between tiers; shade structures and trees; a mandala area for art therapy; spaces for solace and sensory experiences with different colors, textures, smells, tastes, and the sound of running water. We look forward to reaching more children in northern Colorado and help them find hope and healing. Please contact Evan Hyatt with any questions. Benefits of Garden: • Increase capacity for hope over time by engaging activities • Identify and express feelings that may have not been recognized or understood • Increase understanding of self and others, especially related to grief • Build self-esteem by validation in the group setting • Experience nature-based environments as a healthy avenue for stress release and through engaging in the care of plants • Healthy brain function that results from working in soil 6 | PAT H WAY S I N - TO U C H N E W S L E T T E R N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 6