Jefferson Day Report Center Launches New Art Therapy Program

The Jefferson Day Report Center in the Eastern Panhandle is launching a unique art therapy program for its clients.

The center helps those charged with non-violent offenses, and identified as high-risk, high-need individuals, to be reintroduced into society through programs such as drug treatment and group counseling.

The center is the only nonprofit day report center in the state, and one of the few that provides services that can be billed to insurance.

Executive Director Kelly Franklin said the new therapy program helps clients express their feelings and reflect on the meaning of the drawings, paintings, and sculptures they create.

”Together, we search for common themes with the client that may be influencing their thoughts and their actions,” Franklin said. “And through exploration, the art therapist helps the client better understand their emotions, and they provide tools to help them cope with future stress.”

Franklin started offering art therapy at the center after looking into a study involving a similar program during her doctoral research at Liberty University.

“I was introduced to a pilot study that was conducted inside of the prison system with prison inmates,” Franklin said. “And through that study, it concluded a remarkable improvement in mood, decreased depression, and improved stabilization and socialization skills, which is huge for day report populations who are recently released from incarceration.”

The Jefferson Day Report Center plans to expand the program to assist juveniles alongside adults in the near future. It is also accepting donations of art supplies. Those interested can donate at the center’s headquarters in Ranson, located at 121 W 3rd Ave, or contact the center at 304-728-3527.