School
of Creative
Industries
Nicole Yeo Yew Min
Nicole Yeo’s art practice involves a process of spontaneous play and experimentation of fibre arts and paper collage. During her study breaks, Nicole worked with internally displaced individuals and refugees on her humanitarian trips to Lebanon and Northern Iraq. As part of her MA Art Therapy training, she facilitated individual and group art therapy with adults living with mental health issues and with vulnerable children living in a low-income neighbourhood. Her research and clinical interests include working with children who have experienced complex trauma and how art therapy can foster resilience in spite of their challenges. She is a recipient of The Red Pencil Singapore Scholarship from 2018 – 2020.
Work
Water Works
Acrylic yarn and cotton string
36 x 120 cm
2020
Thesis abstract
Pathways of resilience: impact of artmaking with children-at-risk
Children from poverty backgrounds have often been found to have adverse childhood experiences which affect them through adulthood. The result of these experiences includes affected socio-emotional and physical health as well as maladaptive behaviours. Hence, this research seeks to resolve the question of how art therapy can facilitate and promote resilience in children living in low-income urban neighbourhoods in Singapore. Resilience is a term used to describe one’s ability to bounce back from adversity and to survive and thrive in challenging situations. There are a range of therapeutic benefits for the client when he participates in the art therapy. Using a multiple-case vignette qualitative research approach with three selected clinical cases, findings have revealed how art therapy cultivates resilience in children. This inquiry illustrates the value of the therapist as a positive role model and a relational resource that the client can receive support from. Additionally, through the artmaking, clients are able to explore possibilities and perspectives, along with developing a sense of mastery, risk-taking and problem-solving. Fostering resilience is not a fixed prescription, but rather it is a process of embarking on a journey with the client in exploring their identity and strengths in coping with their unique circumstances.