[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-592255-105":59,"doc-detail-592255-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","a-childs-use-of-transitional-objects-in-art-therapy-to-cope-with-divorce-case-study","A Child’s Use of Transitional Objects in Art Therapy to Cope With Divorce - Case Study","","Examines transitional objects in art therapy through a case study of a 12-year-old boy navigating the trauma of his parents’ separation and divorce. Transitional objects emerged spontaneously as the child integrated the divorce-related transition, were shaped through different art materials, and decreased as he developed a more secure sense of self. The case highlights the therapeutic value of transitional objects and transitional space for coping and restoring psychological well-being.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/a-childs-use-of-transitional-objects-in-art-therapy-to-cope-with-divorce-case-study/592255/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/a-childs-use-of-transitional-objects-in-art-therapy-to-cope-with-divorce-case-study/592255.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Grenda","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-16","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":8},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"How do transitional objects help children cope with divorce-related stress?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The article explains that children may use transitional objects under extreme stress to manage feelings and anxiety when they have little control over changing circumstances.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What was the role of art therapy in the case study?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"In an eight-month art therapy program, the boy introduced personal objects without prompting, used them in artistic expression, and gradually developed a more secure, assertive, and creative state of well-being.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"According to Winnicott, what are transitional objects and how do they function?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Winnicott’s theory describes transitional objects as a first “not me” possession that provides comfort during separation-individuation, supports autonomy, and helps the individual build symbolic capacity.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},592255,1792109700,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":8,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":34,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144},7971474921005,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","A Child’s Use of Transitional Objects in Art Therapy to Cope With Divorce  \nCourtney McCullough, Mahopac, NY  \nAbstract  \nIn this article, the author examines the use of transitional objects in a case study of a 12-year-old boy, documenting the role of art therapy in helping the boy cope with the trauma of his parents’ recent separation and divorce. Transitional objects emerged spontaneously as the boy integrated the transition that the divorce of his parents created; these objects were elaborated through various art materials and their use eventually decreased as the boy achieved a more secure sense of self. The case illustrates the therapeutic value of transitional objects and transitional space in therapy.  \nIntroduction  \nChildren often react to divorce with decreased selfesteem and repressed feelings of anger and loss, which maybe manifested as aggressive or withdrawn behavior. During periods of extreme stress, children may return to the use of transitional objects—more typically seen in the developmental period associated with an infant’s separation from his or her mother—as a way of coping with circumstances over which they feel little control (Winnicott, 1971) .  \nThe subject of this case study is a 12-year-old boy who participated in an 8-month art therapy program conducted in the South Bronx, a neighborhood of New York City. Without any prompting from the therapist, the client introduced into the sessions personal objects brought from home, which he repeatedly used in his artistic expression. These objects, combined with the guidance ofthe therapist and with intermittent support from observing family members, allowed him to embark on a path toward a more secure, assertive, and creative state of well-being.  \nTransitional Objects  \nWinnicott’s Theory of Transitional Objects  \nDuring normal development, an infant becomes attached to a soft object sometime between the ages of 4 and 12 months. Winnicott (1971) theorized that, as part of the separation-individuation process of psychological development, an infant discovers and takes ownership of this first “not me” possession, known as the “transitional  \nEditor’s note: Courtney McCullough, MPS, is an adolescent/ children’s therapist coordinator at Putnam/Northern Westchester Women’s Resource Center in Mahopac, NY. Correspondence con  \ncerning this article may be addressed to [courtmc42@yahoo.com](courtmc42@yahoo.com)  \nobject.” The object functions as a comfort during the emotionally challenging process of an infant’s psychological separation from his or her primary love object, while at the same time promotes autonomy. This inanimate but treasured possession may be a blanket, a teddy bear, or a piece of cloth. Most often the transitional object has a characteristic odor and feeling that is reminiscent of the mother.  \nThe transitional object alleviates stress during separation-individuation, preserving the illusion of the comforting and soothing mother at a time when the mother is not always available. The transitional object is symbolic of the primary love object, but it does not take the place of the breast or the mother. Rather, it represents the breast, allowing the infant to accept difference and similarity simultaneously, and eventually to develop the capacity to symbolize (Winnicott, 1971) .  \nTransitional objects promote autonomy: Unlike the infant’s mother, the transitional object is completely controlled by the infant. To the infant, it has a reality of its own, never changing unless the infant decides to change it (Winnicott, 1971) . Because it is under the infant’s control, the infant will feel safety when projecting his or her feelings onto the transitional object. When the infant feels love, for example, he or she will cuddle the transitional object and when the infant feels hate, he or she can mutilate the object. Without being either forgotten or mourned, the transitional object is usually relinquished between the ages of two and four. During this time, ","cbCaiet2meJjkBLG","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiet2meJjkBLG","pdf",293543,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n# Transitional Objects\n## Winnicott’s Theory of Transitional Objects\n## Beyond Winnicott: Transitional Objects Throughout Human Development","[{\"question\":\"How do transitional objects help children cope with divorce-related stress?\",\"answer\":\"The article explains that children may use transitional objects under extreme stress to manage feelings and anxiety when they have little control over changing circumstances.\"},{\"question\":\"What was the role of art therapy in the case study?\",\"answer\":\"In an eight-month art therapy program, the boy introduced personal objects without prompting, used them in artistic expression, and gradually developed a more secure, assertive, and creative state of well-being.\"},{\"question\":\"According to Winnicott, what are transitional objects and how do they function?\",\"answer\":\"Winnicott’s theory describes transitional objects as a first “not me” possession that provides comfort during separation-individuation, supports autonomy, and helps the individual build symbolic capacity.\"}]","A Child’s Use of Transitional Objects in Art Therapy to Cope With Divorce - Case Study | PDF",1792074174,18]