Published: September 23, 2009 04:57 pm         

Woods art therapy director helps kids who have lost loved ones in military service

ST. MARY-OF-THE-WOODS — Family members of fallen military heroes gathered Memorial Day weekend for the 15th annual TAPS National Military Survivor Seminar Good Grief Camp, and Kathy Gotshall, director of the Master of Arts in Art Therapy program at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College was among them as a volunteer.

Organized by the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, the four-day weekend involving 1,200 people offered a camp for children, workshops for adults, and comfort for the families that have paid the ultimate sacrifice in service.

Attendees included the families of those killed in action, those who died by their own hand through suicide, and those who perished in training accidents or from illness. Regardless of how their loved one died, these families find comfort in gathering with others who share the sorrow that accompanies military loss.

Among them were also the war’s tiniest survivors. More than 350 children attended the TAPS Good Grief Camp, where they were paired one-on-one with 350 military mentors. During the camp, which is America’s only program for children who have lost a parent, sibling or loved one in military service to America, the children learn coping strategies for dealing with loss through educational activities and gain their own age-appropriate peer support network. They also connect their family’s experience with a national legacy of military service, learning how our nation honors those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice through memorials and ceremonies.

To serve as a volunteer, Gotshall completed a four-hour training session and then spent three days mentoring a young child who lost a loved one in military service. She also served as the leader for the 4-5 year-old camp participants.

Heather Campagna, TAPS Good Grief Camp director, said in a letter, “She has made a positive and lifelong impact on the families of our nation’s fallen, and we are honored that she chose to support these incredible children who have sacrificed so much for our country.”

Art Therapy is an allied health profession in which artistic expression is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, psychological, cognitive and social needs of individuals. Therapeutic goals of Art Therapy include enhancing avenues of communication, motivating clients to cope with treatment, providing emotional support for clients and their families and providing outlets for expression of feelings.

The graduate program in art therapy at SMWC is offered in a convenient distance-learning format. For more information regarding the MAAT program, contact the SMWC Distance Education Admission Office by e-mail at gradadms@smwc.edu or by phone at 1-800-499-0373 or (812) 535-5242. More info can also be found online at www.smwc.edu. More information on TAPS can be found online at www.taps.org.