Author: Kimberly Dias | Mar 12, 2016
When ‘I’ is replaced by ‘we’, even ‘illness’ becomes ‘wellness’.
Isolated children are more likely to be bullied; hence peer relationships are an important area of functioning in school as they help in determining our sense of self and the direction of our lives.
Zara, a bright and forthright 9 year old, came to meet me as she faced some difficulty making friends. Her mature thinking often made me forget how young she was. Her efforts to fit in at school eventually proved to be futile and Zara created a niche for herself where she found consolation in her solitude and happiness in her hobbies such as reading and art.
Building rapport with Zara was an exciting challenge and of utmost importance as it would not only create a safe space for her to share her feelings but hopefully over time it would encourage her to move towards healthier behaviors. Beneath the mature young mind was a little child, still wanting to be accepted for who she was.
Zara wasn’t very comfortable discussing her difficulties. Keeping her strengths in mind, I decided to use art as a way to begin our cool friendship. Zara not only agreed, but was pleasantly surprised and excited when I asked her if she could tattoo something on my arm! It was such a fun way to break the ice and get her to talk about school and the things that worried her as well as brought her immense happiness! While she drew a skull with bones on her arm, I got a person dancing on mine!