Hi friends! I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying the last few weeks of the fall 2025 semester! Finals week is quickly approaching and I wish you all the best of luck!

In my Art Therapy Internship class, we visited or hosted a different organization each week during the semester. Each student in the class was instructed to come up with an art therapy directive and lead the activity with the assigned group for that week. We recently hosted NativityMiguel Scranton 5th and 6th grade students and I was the student who led the directive!

For my directive I decided to have them make an affirmation tree. The objective was to create these affirmation trees to increase in self esteem and self awareness as well as improve overall confidence and coping strategies. I separated the students into groups and began by giving them a large poster that I painted a tree trunk on before they arrived. I then gave them each a piece of blank paper. I instructed them to trace the outline of each hand on the paper, and to write an affirmation on each finger. (I provided them with a list of affirmations for reference/inspiration.) Next, I encouraged them to decorate their hands as they desired. We then cut out the hands, and glued them onto the tree trunk to look like leaves. Some processing questions for after the directive included:

1. How did you choose the affirmations you wrote down? Did you feel that they applied to you? Why or why not?

2. How did writing down each affirmation in your fingers make you feel? 

3. When looking at your finished affirmation tree, what do you notice about how you feel? 

4. What is the finished affirmation tree telling you about yourself?

Overall, I had the most incredible time leading this directive and working with NativityMiguel! I am so grateful to have had this opportunity! That’s all for today, friends! I hope you enjoyed reading