GOSHEN -- An area mental health group uses art and conversation to allow parents at a Goshen school to come to terms with issues they face in the recession.

The Northeastern Center started holding sessions of its "Talk it out" program at Prairie View Elementary School this month.

"It's really a place where we talk to people who are in stress with the situation related to the economy, who are struggling to make their home payments," said Gilberto Pérez Jr., director of the Northeastern Center's Bienvenido Program, who leads the "Talk it out" sessions at Prairie View along with local artist Mark Daniels.

Pérez said the program's five sessions focus on identifying participants' strengths, thinking positive, keeping emotions in check, identifying health issues, seeking help if necessary and contributing to the community. Parents and students talk about their situations and then draw, paint or use clay to express their feelings in another way.

For example, during the first session, Daniels and Pérez asked parents and children to create an advertisement poster about themselves to highlight their strengths. In the second session, Pérez said they asked participants to use clay to illustrate what they do when they get angry.

Prairie View is not the first site for "Talk it out" sessions -- there's been one at the Noble County Jail and Clinton Frame Mennonite Church -- but the art is a new aspect of the program.

"He's brought life to the program in terms of the artistic expression," Pérez said.

Daniels said incoporating art was a natural addition, because art tends to already reflect people's feelings.

"Any time you do art, you tend to do introspective stuff," Daniels said, "things that have to do with you."

Pérez said he found participants for the program with help from Prairie View, who sent letters home to fourth- and fifth-grade parents.

Prairie View Principal Ray Helmuth said he's excited to have the program at Prairie View.

"They came to use and proposed it and wanted to know whether we would be willing to host it, and my response was that we're always interested in using the building as a place for community groups to gather for the good of the whole community," Helmuth said.

A donation from an individual pays for art supplies and a stipend for Daniels' work, and volunteers from Goshen High School provide free child care for participating parents. Pérez said he has been talking with administrators at Model Elementary School about the possibility of bringing a program there, too.