What Is Your Child Pushing Uphill?

06/07/2025 | Beth Patane Creative Arts Therapist | Stress and Anxiety

A Creative Art Therapy Assessment That Reveals Stress and Coping Skills

If your child is overwhelmed, anxious, or struggling emotionally, they might not be able to say what’s wrong—but they might be able to draw it.

As a licensed art therapist working with children and teens in Westchester, I’ve developed a series of original art therapy assessments to help kids express complex emotions in creative and accessible ways. One of the most insightful tools I use is something I call the “Get Something Up the Hill” directive. It’s simple, metaphor-rich, and surprisingly revealing.

A Visual Metaphor for Emotional Load

In this directive, I ask the child to draw:

A hill
Themselves somewhere on that hill
An object they are carrying, pushing, or pulling up the hill
Any extra details they want—people, tools, grass, weather, etc.

What they create becomes a visual metaphor for how they experience stress. Their drawing reveals not only what they’re dealing with, but how they feel about it—and how well they’re managing.

What I Look For as a Therapist

The drawing helps me understand:

The object – What are they moving? Schoolwork? A sibling? A responsibility? The object often represents their main source of stress.
The steepness of the hill – The steeper it is, the more intense or overwhelming the stress feels.
Their position on the hill – Are they stuck at the bottom? Nearing the top? Sliding down? This tells me how capable or hopeless they feel.
Are they alone? – Is anyone helping? Do they have tools like a wagon, rope, or wheels? These details show their coping strategies and support systems.
Environmental challenges – Tall grass, rain, cliffs, or mud often symbolize external stressors, like peer issues, family changes, or sensory overload.
Have they reached the top? – Kids who see themselves at the summit often feel hopeful or close to resolution. Those stuck at the bottom may feel helpless.

A Real Example: “School Around His Neck”

One young client drew himself pulling a heavy object labeled “SCHOOL” up a steep hill, attached by a rope around his neck. He added tall grass everywhere—making it harder to run. When I asked, he said the grass represented “everything else” making school harder: noise, other kids, the classroom.

But there was also a coping skill in the picture—he was running, trying to finish the hill. That’s what this child did in real life too—he rushed, panicked, and pushed through as fast as he could to make the stress go away. The hill, the weight, and the effort all told a clear story.

Why This Matters

Children and adolescents don’t always have the insight—or language—to describe their emotions. But through art, they can show:

What feels too heavy
Where they feel stuck
Whether they feel supported or alone
How far they feel from relief or success
What coping skills they’re already using—and which ones might help

This directive is particularly effective for:

Children with school-related anxiety or executive functioning challenges
Kids with ADHD, autism, or sensory processing sensitivities
Children navigating trauma, adoption, divorce, or grief
Those who struggle with meltdowns, shutdowns, or emotional dysregulation
Kids who resist or don’t benefit from traditional talk therapy

The Power of Original, Tailored Therapy

The “Get Something Up the Hill” assessment is one of several original tools I’ve created in my practice. These custom directives are designed to meet kids where they are—offering a safe, creative way to explore feelings, identify stressors, and build coping skills.

🎨 No artistic skill is required—just a willingness to draw what’s on their mind.

When processed with the support of a licensed art therapist, this kind of creative expression can help a child feel seen, understood, and supported—sometimes for the first time.

📍 Located in Westchester, NY
🧠 Offering in-person and telehealth art therapy for children and teens
🖼️ All assessments are original, copyright-protected, and created by Beth Patane, LCAT, ATR-BC
🔒 Proprietary therapeutic tools—used only within professional clinical settings