VICENZA, Italy -- For the first time in history, a non-clinic organization has won the U.S. Army Surgeon General's Gold Level System for Health Award.
The Resiliency through Art program at the U.S. Army Garrison Italy art center has been recognized by the Surgeon General's office as "outstanding" in the field of healing therapy for Soldiers and families.
Administered through the U.S. Army Vicenza Family and MWR's Community Recreation Division programs, this resiliency program is one of the first examples of this type of therapy being done in Army garrisons across Europe. The program uses the process of personal expression through art to provide relief for issues that affect Soldiers and their families.
Using classes in small group settings, Resiliency through Art helps with separation, anxiety, depression and anger, and can help boost self-confidence. Art is naturally therapeutic, and participants with no prior art experience are finding value with the process.
The leader of the program, Michelle Sterkowicz, is university trained with a certification in Art Therapy. She worked to re-implement the Resiliency through Art initiative for multiple Army Arts and Crafts centers, training eight garrison managers to implement the program in their communities. Sterkowicz said it gives her satisfaction to train others in the program, citing the positive impact it has on Army members and their families.
When asked about the takeaway she'd like visitors to have with her program, Sterkowicz replied, "We all encounter stressors in daily life, but how are we dealing with it? I would like to see a larger focus on prevention overall, and this program fits in perfectly with that."
The money from the Gold Level Award increased the amount of supplies to be used in the program at USAG Italy, as well as to send art kits to a unit of deployed Soldiers.
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