Share & Care Community Outreach Cedars-Sinai Skip to content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Share Email Print Art & Healing Back to Art & Healing The Art Experience History of the Collection Behind the Scenes Donate Art Healing Gardens Art Spotlight Steinkamp Digital Mural Irwin Light Installation Leigh Wiener Photos Schoonhoven Mural Baldessari Umbrellas RxArt Project Open Doors Exhibit Share & Care Community Outreach Patient Stories In the News Send Us a Message Share & Care The power of art therapy helps children cope with trauma The Share & Care program has been providing services to at-risk children and adolescents for over 35 years. The Psychological Trauma Center, founded in 1981, helps children deal with troubling events in their lives through the Share & Care program's weekly art therapy sessions. The participants, who range in age from adolescent to preteen, express their feelings as they draw and discuss their artwork during 1-hour sessions. The program has curriculums on topics such as anger management, bullying, substance abuse, and grief and loss, and serves 30 schools in the Los Angeles area. Teachers and administrators refer kids to Cedars-Sinai Share & Care because they're experiencing emotional and academic challenges due to traumatic situations and stressors. The program creates a safe space for children to share their worries and fears and develop resilience that helps them survive and succeed "Children can express feelings through art that they can't express any other way. We see significant improvement in how well kids handle the stress in their lives and how they do in school as a result of this program." —Suzanne Silverstein, MA, ATR, founding director of the Cedars-Sinai nonprofit Psychological Trauma Center. DRAWN OUT The weekly hour of drawing and talking provides children with a new way to express difficult feelings through art therapy. EXPRESSING SORROW Violence-induced trauma is a regular experience for many schoolchildren in Los Angeles. RAINY DAY Share & Care participants' drawings make powerful emotional statements about their life experiences. CARING COMMENTS Share & Care participants create art that focuses both on positive and negative experiences. SAD SELF Drawing and talking with a therapist at Share & Care sessions helps children release troubling emotions. POSITIVE PORTRAIT Whether real or imagined, drawing happy situations during Share & Care sessions helps kids express and examine their feelings. Get in Touch With Cedars-Sinai Community Benefit If you are an educator and are interested in learning more about Share & Care and other health-education resources, please call the Community Benefit department, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. PT (U.S.). 310-423-9581 Other Helpful Info Find Out More About Share & Care Read this blog entry to learn more about how children in the Share & Care program deal with traumas that include the loss of loved ones, divorce, gang and domestic violence, and homelessness through art. VISIT BLOG Learn About Spiritual Care Options Cedars-Sinai's chaplains, representing many religious faiths and cultural backgrounds, offer support to patients and their loved ones as part of the interdisciplinary healthcare team. LEARN MORE Share Email Print Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility