(Healing Emotions with Art and Recreation Together)

Is a unique program offering elementary age children and adolescents the opportunity to express their emotions while having fun. It offers four six-week group sessions, each consisting of art therapy, expressive movement/music, outdoor adventure, and therapeutic horseback riding. These four therapeutic components have linkages to a variety of theoretical orientations for clinical intervention, including the psycho-social realm, symbolic imagery, body awareness, mastery and control, skill building, and practical problem solving. Each group of 10 to 12 youth meets once a week for a duration of six months.

H.E.A.R.T. provides experiences that address the social emotional needs of sex abuse victims based on the premise that these children can be “reached” through a hands-on experiential approach to intervention. The program is based on the premise that discharging feelings can reduce some of the intensity and overwhelming effects on behavior. The over arching goals of this program include increasing self esteem, developing a group that understands they are not alone in their struggle, and increase the youth’s ability to express their feelings and emotions. The H.E.A.R.T. program is the only program of its kind in the State of Hawaii.