Tracy’s Kids engages with young patients, their siblings, and parents using a wide variety of art supplies to empower them to express feelings and reflect on their treatment experiences. The program — which began at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University Hospital in 1991 and is based on the model developed there — employs Master’s-trained art therapists to address the multi-faceted needs of children with cancer through art and play therapy. The art therapists work directly with physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel and are integrated as members of each child’s treatment team.

The program — which is offered at no charge to patients and their families — works in hospitals, freestanding clinics, and other appropriate settings. Our goal is to provide a child-centered, open studio approach for inpatients and outpatients and to interact with the children while they are receiving infusions and other treatments. We welcome the chance to work with siblings and parents because we know that the entire family is affected when a child has cancer.