Brushstrokes of hope: Art therapy for cancer patients and their caregivers

By Stephanie Meador, posted Sep 27, 2026 on BizFayetteville.com

FirstHealth’s art therapy for cancer patients and caregivers helps attendees reduce stress through creative expression. Photo provided by Deborah Yarborough.

Group therapy can provide much-needed support and comfort during difficult times, and that is why FirstHealth of the Carolina’s offers several different group therapy programs to patients in the area. Among those programs is the art therapy group for cancer patients and their caregivers.

In the art therapy program, patients learn how to reduce stress through art and creativity. The group is for anyone 18+ and free. Registration is required. The group meets on the third Wednesday of every month from 1-3 p.m. at the Cancer Center and is led by Oncology Social Worker Deborah Yarborough and Artist Christy Thompson.

“It gives them an opportunity to come in, be creative, forget about being sick. It enhances their mood. It enhances their perspective on life. And I’ve actually even seen…some patients who end up taking less pain medication because their outlook has changed so much, because they’ve got more creative endeavors to think about,” shared Thompson.

The group offers painting and crafts to patients, as well as an environment for them to gather with people who understand the struggles they are facing.

“Maybe they’re not feeling that good that day because they’ve had chemo or they’ve had side effects from chemo that are really getting them down, and to be able to be in a room with people who understand that, and if they want to talk about it, they’ve got somebody that they know understands what they’re talking about,” added Thompson.

Thompson resides in Goldsboro but travels to Pinehurst to offer art therapy to the community. She has decades of experience helping people find strength and hope through creative activity.

“I am an artist and I have made my living as an artist. I do not have an art therapy degree, but 30 years ago, I had a woman come up to me and she told me that she had cancer…and she always wanted to learn how to paint. So she came to me with her best friend, told me her situation, and said, ‘Would you teach me?’ And I started going to her house every week and taught her and her best friend. And the next thing I knew, I had a whole kitchen full of people, and every single one of them were patients at our local oncology office,” shared Thompson.

Thompson attributes her skill for working with patients to her observant and empathetic nature.

“No, I don’t have a degree in counseling or an art therapy degree, but I am a very observant person, an empathetic person who can pick up on how people are feeling. And the majority of the time, what they need is for somebody to simply listen to them,” shared Thompson.

Some of the patients’ artwork is now on display in the medical oncology waiting room.

To register for the art therapy group, call (910) 715-2237.

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