This paper outlines two collaborative, child‐centred art projects I led in school settings as a child mental health expert and artist, which sought to explore how illustration, imagination and creativity can emotionally support, positively empower and visually inspire children to engage with emotional literacy, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), trauma, and eco‐anxiety. These projects brought together my experience as a mental health practitioner, artist and educator, underpinned by an interdisciplinary synthesis of illustration theory, arts therapeutic models and neuroscience, with particular reference to ‘The Manifesto for Illustration Pedagogy’; Sean McNiff's arts therapy Dr Margot Sunderland's research on the importance of imagination to creativity, play and mindfulness; Attention Restoration Theory, Polyvagal Theory, Attachment and Nature Theory. The paper considers the implication of research showing (Kaimal 2017) art activities improve attention, health and wellbeing. Visual self‐expression activates reward centres in the pre‐frontal cortex, creating reward pathways that enable us to positively regulate our thoughts, actions and emotions (Kaimal 2017), and manage stress, which in turn promotes a capacity to learn and to be socially engaged. Secure attachments to people and nature are vital if children are to manage ACEs and the climate crisis without debilitating stress. I will evidence ways in which we can build these bonds of attachment to nature through imagination, creativity and research. I will demonstrate that opportunities to externalise our inner‐world realities through words, image and metaphor, provide a containment that enables children to confront the harshest of outer realities, and empowers them for the future.

中文翻译：

---

创意想象、插图和讲故事在教育环境中支持社会、情感和心理健康方面的作用


本文概述了我作为儿童心理健康专家和艺术家在学校环境中领导的两个以儿童为中心的协作艺术项目，旨在探索插图、想象力和创造力如何在情感上支持、积极赋权和视觉激励儿童参与情感素养、不良童年经历 （ACE）、创伤和生态焦虑。这些项目汇集了我作为心理健康从业者、艺术家和教育家的经验，以插画理论、艺术治疗模型和神经科学的跨学科综合为基础，特别参考了“插画教育学宣言”;Sean McNiff 的艺术疗法 Margot Sunderland 博士关于想象力对创造力、游戏和正念的重要性的研究;注意力恢复理论、多迷走神经理论、依恋和自然理论。本文考虑了研究表明 （Kaimal 2017） 艺术活动可以提高注意力、健康和福祉的含义。视觉自我表达激活了前额叶皮层的奖励中心，创造了奖励途径，使我们能够积极调节自己的思想、行为和情绪（Kaimal 2017），并管理压力，这反过来又促进了学习和社交参与的能力。如果儿童要在不减轻压力的情况下管理 ACE 和气候危机，那么对人和自然的安全依恋至关重要。我将展示我们可以通过想象力、创造力和研究来建立这些与自然的依恋纽带的方法。我将证明，通过文字、图像和隐喻将我们的内心世界现实外化的机会，提供了一种遏制，使儿童能够面对最严酷的外部现实，并赋予他们未来的能力。