Another online success story: Wesley Family Services Creative Arts Program

As was the case with practically everyone else, Katie Harrill had to think quickly once concerns about COVID-19 prompted stay-at-home precautions.
“For me, personally, it was: How am I going to best meet every individual’s needs that are so different?” she recalled.
Harrill is a certified music therapist and supervisor of the Wesley Family Services Creative Arts Program, which provides therapy in several disciplines for individuals with behavioral, social, psychological, communication, physical and motor/cognitive functioning issues.
And under normal circumstances, she conducts sessions for clients at the nonprofit organization’s facilities, including one in South Fayette Township.
“We have so many resources available to us in our rooms,” she said. “We took for granted that we’ve always been able to just do what we do.”
But once the program joined so many others under the circumstances in going the virtual route, some issues presented themselves.
“You don’t have all the resources at hand, and who knows what instruments they have,” Harrill said.
Fortunately, the new approach has gone well for most of the people involved.
“Some were very reluctant in the beginning, which is to be expected because they were also moving over to online learning,” Harrill said about youngsters adjusting to something new in their educational lives, as well. “So there was a lot going on. Parents were wearing more hats.”
But once they tried virtual creative arts, they tended to like it.
From Harrill’s standpoint, conducting sessions online has involved quite a bit of creativity and preparation. She has made considerable use of PowerPoint presentations to develop material that can sustain interest for clients in a completely different environment.
One young man was treated to her adaptation of the good old game show “Hollywood Squares.”
“I put all the Disney princesses in boxes, and he had to tell me which box he wanted,” Harrill said. “And then behind the box was a music question or something that he had to answer.”
She has been conducting sessions for individuals and groups.
“The groups are interesting. You have to be very quick with muting and unmuting, and then people don’t like that you muted them. Then it’s like, ‘You can’t all talk at the same time,'” she said.
“In my eyes, though, it really was a great opportunity to work on turn taking, because sometimes in a room, you can all talk at one time and you can get bits and pieces. Online, if they all talk at the same time, no one’s hearing anything.”
Despite the challenges of coping with COVID-19, Harrill and the other certified therapists in the creative arts program have joined many other professionals in taking away some positives.
“The silver lining is that we were able to discover a way that we can deliver a quality service we might not have thought about otherwise,” she said.
One of the benefits is that the program can reach more people on a more consistent basis, especially clients with health considerations that limit their ability to attend on site. Plus people who move away can continue to participate.
“Maybe they can’t find a good match where they’ve moved to, and this could span across states,” Harrill explained, and with online sessions: “It doesn’t matter where you live.”
When Wesley Family Services is able to resume the program in its traditional format, Harrill and her colleagues will welcome clients back to take part in person.
“Absolutely, going forward, this is going to be an option that will be available,” Harrill said of the online version.
Wesley Family Services provides behavioral healthcare and therapeutic support for children, adults and families, serving more than 30,000 individuals annually in Western Pennsylvania. For more information, visit wfspa.org.