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The Spaces Between Trust: Art Therapy for Adopted Children
- Chloe
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Reflections on Art Therapy with Adopted Children
(Art Therapy in Manchester | Therapy in Manchester)— Hey From Within
The drawing stayed folded inside their bag for weeks.
Every session they brought it.
Every session they took it home again.
We never opened it.
Instead, we played games, explored the room, built stories with miniature figures and became curious about which art materials felt safest to use that day.
Sometimes, having choice over what is shared, and when it is shared, can be one of the first experiences of emotional safety a young person has had.
There was no pressure.
No expectation.
Just the quiet understanding that deciding when to share something can feel just as important as deciding how.
One afternoon, towards the end of a session, they slowly unfolded the paper and gently slid it across the table.
No explanation.
No long conversation.
Just a quiet,
"I think you can see it now."
I often think about that moment.
Not because of what was on the paper, but because of everything that had happened beforehand.
The weeks of returning.
The games.
The laughter.
The silences.
The testing.
The wondering.
The relationship.
For some children, trust isn't built through asking difficult questions or encouraging them to talk before they are ready.
It grows through repeated experiences of feeling safe enough to decide when, and how, to let another person into their world.
Art Therapy for Adopted Children in Manchester
Every adopted child has their own story.
While adoption is one part of that story, it does not define who they are. Each young person arrives with their own personality, strengths, interests, relationships and experiences. Some are eager to create from the very first session. Others prefer to explore the room, play a game, ask questions or simply sit quietly. There is no right or wrong way to begin.
As an Art Therapist in Manchester, my role is not to rush this process or expect children and young people to speak before they are ready. Instead, I offer a therapeutic relationship where curiosity can slowly replace uncertainty, and where creativity becomes another way of understanding experiences that may feel difficult to put into words.
Sometimes, the relationship itself becomes the most important art material in the room.
Building Trust Through Art Therapy and Attachment
One of the things I have learnt through working with young people is that trust cannot be hurried.
As adults, we often feel an understandable urge to help children talk about what has happened. We want to know they are okay. We hope that if we ask the right question, provide enough reassurance or encourage them to express themselves, things might begin to feel easier.
Yet therapy often teaches us something different.
Sometimes the most important work isn't in finding the words.
It's in creating the conditions where words no longer feel frightening.
For some children and young people, relationships have not always felt predictable. This can mean that allowing another adult to know them, to help them or to witness difficult feelings takes enormous courage.
Rather than expecting trust, I see it as something we build together.
One session at a time.
One game.
One conversation.
One shared silence.
One piece of artwork.
One repaired misunderstanding.
These moments may seem ordinary, but together they create something extraordinary.
A relationship where a young person begins to discover they don't have to perform, protect themselves or have everything figured out before they are accepted.
They can simply arrive as they are.
That is often where therapy begins.
How Trust Often Begins in Art Therapy
Trust rarely arrives all at once.
Instead, it often grows quietly.
I might notice a young person beginning to test boundaries that previously felt too risky.
They may ask if we can play the same game each week, request particular art materials or become increasingly playful in their ideas.
Sometimes they ask more questions about me or begin sharing more of their imagination through stories, symbols or play.
Other times, they move gently between closeness and distance, dipping their toe into the relationship before stepping back again.
Perhaps one of the biggest shifts I notice is when the need to get everything right begins to soften.
There is less apologising.
Less rubbing things out.
More curiosity.
More freedom to experiment.
These moments might seem small from the outside, yet they often tell me something important.
Safety is beginning to grow.
When Art Says What Words Cannot
Not every child or young person finds words easily.
Sometimes they communicate through miniature figures.
Sometimes through clay.
Sometimes by creating worlds where everyone belongs.
Sometimes by returning to the same image week after week.
And sometimes, they communicate through the relationship itself.
Art therapy isn't about producing beautiful artwork.
It is about offering another language.
One where difficult experiences, emotions and questions can be explored symbolically, gently and without pressure.
Creativity allows us to wonder together rather than search for the "right" answer.
Belonging, Identity and Finding Your Place
Questions around belonging and identity are part of being human.
For some adopted young people, these questions may hold particular significance and emerge naturally within therapy.
Sometimes they appear through artwork before they are ever spoken aloud.
A bridge.
A house.
A family of animals.
A tree with deep roots.
An empty chair.
Art allows these themes to exist without needing to solve them immediately.
Instead, we become curious together, allowing meaning to unfold over time.
Supporting Adoptive Parents: Therapy Beyond the Therapy Room
Whenever I begin working with a young person, I also think about the people who love them.
Parents often carry an enormous amount.
Alongside the joy of family life can sit exhaustion, uncertainty and the quiet pressure to always get things right.
Many tell me they worry about asking for help.
Some feel guilty for struggling.
Others fear they will be judged by professionals or wonder whether they are doing enough.
Many work tirelessly to support their child whilst navigating school meetings, appointments and everyday family life.
This emotional load deserves care too.
Sometimes, supporting a young person also means supporting their parents.
Alongside individual art therapy, I offer parent sessions tailored to each family's needs. These are reflective spaces where parents can pause, think and process their own experiences, without judgement.
Depending on what feels most helpful, we might explore attachment, emotional regulation, therapeutic parenting, or how previous experiences may be influencing family life today. We may also think about secondary trauma, compassion fatigue or the emotional impact of living in a state of constant vigilance.
Not because anyone is doing anything wrong.
But because parenting, especially when supporting a child who has experienced early adversity, asks so much of us.
When parents feel understood and supported, they often have more emotional capacity to remain curious, connected and compassionate within their relationship with their child.
Therapy is rarely something that happens in isolation.
It happens within relationships.
Working Systemically Around the Young Person
Therapy does not end when a session finishes.
Young people continue to be supported by parents, schools, social workers and wider professionals, all of whom play an important role in helping them feel safe.
Alongside one-to-one art therapy in Manchester, I work systemically around the young person where appropriate. This may include attending review meetings, communicating with schools, contributing reports or letters, and working collaboratively with social workers and wider professional networks.
By sharing psychological understanding across the system, we create greater consistency for the young person.
When the adults around them begin asking,
"What might be happening beneath the surface?"
rather than,
"How do we stop this behaviour?"
young people are more likely to feel understood rather than defined by their behaviour.
Behaviour Often Changes After Inner Safety Is Established
As adults, we often hope behaviour will change before safety arrives.
Yet, in my experience, it is usually the other way around.
When young people experience relationships that remain consistent...
When they begin feeling understood rather than judged...
When they no longer need to work so hard to protect themselves...
Something quietly shifts.
Not always quickly.
Not always visibly.
But steadily.
Behaviour often changes after inner safety is established.
Sometimes that journey begins with paint.
Sometimes with clay.
Sometimes with imagination.
Sometimes simply with the quiet experience of an adult who keeps showing up.
That is Art Therapy for Adopted Children
An Invitation
Whether you're an adoptive parent, social worker or professional looking for art therapy in Manchester, I hope this reflection has offered a glimpse into what therapy can look like.
Not every session begins with words.
Not every story needs to be told straight away.
Sometimes healing begins with something much quieter.
A relationship.
A choice.
A folded piece of paper that, one day, feels safe enough to unfold.
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Chloe Sykes
Art Psychotherapist | Yoga Teacher www.heyfromwithin.co.uk
(Art Therapy in Manchester | Therapy in Manchester)— Hey From Within
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