Today is National Creativity Day – a day to reflect on the importance of creativity in our lives and the many ways it helps us grow, heal, and express ourselves.
At Khulisa, creativity is central to our therapeutic programmes. That’s why we’re using this day to highlight the powerful role that creativity plays in healing trauma and supporting the emotional wellbeing of young people.
What are creative therapies, and how exactly do they support Young People?
Creative therapies are therapies that enable people to express themselves in a variety of ways, through techniques such as painting, drawing, photography, dance, music or drama (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy).
There’s strong evidence that creative therapies are effective at supporting those with mental health difficulties. For example, The Creative Health Report (2017) found that taking part in the arts can help people to recover from trauma, feel more confident, and reduce feelings of anxiety and stress.
So why might creative therapies be particularly important for young people?
Well – it’s estimated that around half of young people living in the UK have experienced at least one traumatic event or adverse childhood experience (UK Trauma Council, 2020). Research shows that trauma can negatively impact language development (Sylvestre et al., 2015), meaning many young people may find it difficult to articulate their experiences – or may not yet fully understand them themselves.
That’s where creative therapies can be transformative. By providing a safe, often non-verbal outlet, they allow young people who have experienced trauma to express difficult emotions in ways that feel less overwhelming than talking. Whether it’s through drawing, movement, or sound, creative therapies can help young people process pain, build resilience, and begin to heal.
How do we use creative therapies at Khulisa?
At Khulisa, we integrate creative therapies into our Young People’s group programmes as a core method of supporting emotional wellbeing. We use approaches like drama, art, and debate to create safe, non-judgemental spaces where young people can explore their emotions and experiences. This includes activities like mask making, where young people use art materials to create a mask that reflects how they present themselves to the world versus how they truly feel inside; and role play, where young people rehearse real-life scenarios, such as managing conflicts, to build confidence and emotional resilience.
What we’ve consistently observed is that these creative approaches help young people feel seen and heard, often for the first time. They begin to understand their emotions, challenge unhelpful patterns, and build confidence – laying the groundwork for long-term wellbeing and positive change.
“I got courage and confidence from the sessions. It helped me to understand triggers and the role play when we pretended [to be] on the bus helped me learn about what I would do in real life in that situation. I think I’m more honest now.” - Student from Khulisa's Programme
"The mask has shown me I have a little bit of life in me [to have hope for] even when I’m angry" - Student from Khulisa's Programme
"The mask-making task deals with the two sides of a person's personality and is a real turning point during the programme.... the Face It programme’s use of role play is also very engaging" - Classroom Teacher
Get involved: bringing creative therapies to your community
We believe that creative therapies are part of paving the way forward in tackling the youth mental health crisis.
Are you interested in bringing the power of creative therapies to the young people in your school? Contact us at programmes@khulisa.co.uk to learn more about how we can help your young people express themselves, build resilience, and thrive through creativity.
