Art therapist, Marianne Huebner, MS-ATR, is employed with Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin through the generosity of the RMHC of Eastern Wisconsin grant that has been awarded for the past 2 years.  As a result of the grant this position is divided equally between the two organizations, and allows Huebner to engage with children and families at both locations, often providing the necessary emotional connection between the two, whether it is for patients, siblings, parents, extended families, or friends of the family.  Huebner states, “I experienced the benefit and profundities of having this art therapy program bridge the two organizations. Through the thoughtful generosity of an art program such as this, I have the opportunity to utilize my unique skill set, creativity and the art process to bridge a seemingly insurmountable gap between hospitalization and home. I meet families in their time of crises, when their sense of safety and well-being is tossed into chaos, and work with them to establish modicums of order, of control, of reconciling loss, and of hope.”

Huebner explains that, “having established relationships with patients and families at both RMH and CHW affords a level of consistency and familiarity which, in turn, has the potential to decrease stress, offer a sense of routine and safety, in a situation that may feel anything but safe.  It also generates a sense of well-being enough for families to engage in art making, structured mess-making, and fun through the manipulation of art mediums.  The depth of these experiences for families and patients can only be measured as steps in their healing journeys home.

Click here to email Marianne