Adding Color to Children’s Therapy

As a presidential ambassador and frequent collaborator with the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center, U student Alexis Jessop keeps pretty busy. But that doesn’t stop her from doing more. A psychology major that is close to graduating, Jessop recently interned with SEED in South Africa and created a play therapy room for the Intermountain Specialized Abuse Treatment Center in Salt Lake City. Decorated with a mural painted by Jessop and everything from coloring books to a mini pool table, the room is a safe place where therapists help kids and teenagers work through emotional trauma with play. Jessop said she was overwhelmed by the amount of time, money and supplies that the community donated. “I learned that if you create a platform, people will give,” she said.