HR Directors take note – Kate Middleton chooses Art Therapy
It would seem clear that a royal visit to the art therapy suite at Montreal’s Sainte Justine Hospital this summer has had a deep impact on Kate Middleton. Yesterday, it was announced that among her chosen charitable causes, our new royal star has selected The Art Room, an Oxford based charity that offers art therapy to children.
For many art therapy professionals this is a moment for celebration and will provide the well-needed PR exposure that the field finds so challenging to self-generate.
Part of the issue is that art therapy is experiential. Yes, you can describe it, but words alone are incapable of illustrating the profound that art therapy is and that Kate Middleton very likely saw.
Art Therapy however, is an extremely flexible tool that can equally be harnessed to support employee mental wellbeing; clarifying roles, setting objectives, enhancing communication and generating awareness through an activity that is not only memorable, but also empowering and enjoyable.
Furthermore, unlike current employee well-being trends such as CBT or mindfulness techniques, with art therapy there is no need for time consuming training or learned practice skills.
So, to Kate Middleton’s choice I say ‘hurrah!’ I applaud, I cheer – because one day soon some very innovative and forward thinking PR Directors will be enabling their staff to find out just how incredible this tool can be.