I had an individual session with a 7-year-old girl on an activity called Treasure Boxes. The girl had come to the shelter with her mother due to domestic violence. She liked staying in the shelter. The purpose of the session was to help her create a treasure box where she could keep things that have been valuable to her ever since she came to the shelter.
I provided her with all the materials including a plain color box, paint brush, and acrylic paints. She painted her treasure box with her favorite color purple. She also drew roses on the cover of the box. I asked her what she would put inside the box. She said she would put the bracelets she got from her shelter friends. I asked her what she would miss the most after she left the shelter. She said she would miss the art activities that she had done with me, and friends that she played with in the shelter.
She had a fun time decorating her treasure box. I was able to say goodbye to her and made a safety plan with her. After she finished her artwork, she showed me right away the bracelets that she liked the most and put them into the box.
