Children who experience domestic abuse can carry emotional difficulties long after the immediate danger has passed. Even at a young age, these experiences can affect their sense of safety, relationships, emotional regulation and ability to trust others.
For one young girl, exposure to domestic abuse from infancy had left her struggling with separation anxiety, fear of loud noises and overwhelming emotions. A Children and Young People’s Domestic Abuse Worker, who was also a trained Drawing and Talking Practitioner, recognised that she needed a safe space to begin making sense of her experiences.
When the Practitioner first met the child, she was withdrawn, anxious and particularly fearful of being separated from her mother. She struggled to understand the events she had witnessed and the changes within her family.
Although she could talk openly about difficult memories, she did not yet seem able to make sense of their emotional impact.
The practitioner felt Drawing and Talking would suit her creativity, vivid imagination and enthusiasm for drawing. She had not previously received another therapeutic intervention.
The child embraced Drawing and Talking from her first session. Across 12 sessions, the practitioner observed a shift. Gradually, the child began to explore the feelings within her picture, and outside of the sessions she began asking why things had happened and whether she was somehow responsible. The practitioner described this as a significant turning point, noticing that the child appeared happier, more secure and increasingly able to trust those around her.
One of the most noticeable changes was the child’s growing independence. Previously, separation from her mother had caused considerable distress. During specialist group activities for children affected by domestic abuse, however, the practitioner saw her begin to make friends, participate confidently and spend time away from her mother with greater ease.
Her relationships with other trusted adults also improved. Where she had previously struggled to feel safe around certain male family members, she gradually showed greater confidence in those relationships.
Her mother and education setting also reported improvements in her emotional wellbeing, communication and ability to manage upsetting situations. She increasingly expressed what troubled her and sought support from trusted adults before her feelings became overwhelming.
By the end of the 12 sessions, the practitioner described a marked change. The child who had initially presented as sad, withdrawn, and fearful now showed greater happiness, confidence, independence, and emotional awareness.
Perhaps most importantly, she no longer appeared to carry the same burden of responsibility for the abuse she had witnessed.
For the practitioner, the experience reinforced the importance of patience, emotional safety and allowing children to guide their own therapeutic journey. Rather than directing conversations towards traumatic experiences, Drawing and Talking enabled the child to decide what she wanted to express and when.
“I have learnt that if you create a safe and fun enough environment, they will open up when they are ready.”
The practitioner emphasised that every child responds differently: some may be ready to communicate their experiences, while others need more time to build trust and feel safe.
This case study highlights the valuable role Drawing and Talking can play in supporting children affected by domestic abuse. Delivered alongside specialist domestic abuse support, and with the involvement of the child’s family and education setting, it provided a safe, consistent space for her to explore difficult emotions at her own pace.
Throughout the 12 sessions, the practitioner observed significant improvements in her confidence, emotional regulation and ability to trust others. These positive changes were also recognised by her mother and education setting.
Most importantly, she began to understand that the abuse she had witnessed was never her fault.
Drawing and Talking is a gentle, non-intrusive therapeutic intervention that enables children to express and process difficult emotions through drawing, at their own pace. Our one-day Foundation training equips professionals in education, charities and children’s services with the skills to begin delivering Drawing and Talking within their settings.
Confidentiality note: This account was shared by a Drawing and Talking Practitioner working within a domestic abuse charity. Identifying details have been removed or generalised to protect the child, family and practitioner. Publication should be subject to appropriate consent and safeguarding review.