Walking into the office of school social worker Maureen Eigenfeld is like walking into an oasis of color and freedom.

Students go there to talk about what’s bothering them — but also to paint on the walls, knead clay and make sculptures, paint on canvas, decorate masks and work with beads.

“I needed a way for the kids to open up when I started working here,” Eigenfeld said of the Bronx Writing Academy, a United Community School in Concourse Village.

She wanted an activity that wasn’t stressful and didn’t involve asking intrusive questions. “Middle school is a very anxious time for kids. They’re developing in all kinds of ways, and this is a safe, calm area for them to explore,” she said. “We were painting or playing with clay, with no agenda attached.”

Eigenfeld, who paints and crafts herself, has made art the cornerstone of her therapeutic work with students. “If a kid is upset, I bring them to my office and pull out some art supplies and that alone helps them decompress,” she said. Simply handling materials like clay and paint can be a form of sensory therapy, she noted.

It’s a newly discovered passion for 8th-grader Kailani Davis. “If I don’t understand the work, I will get upset, or if I have a miscommunication with the teacher, I get upset,” said Kailani, who has learned to regain her composure by creating art. “I like to paint, because it relaxes me and brings my head into a calm space,” she said.

Kailani now studies the work of famous artists on her own time. She paints with acrylics, carefully drawing a design with pencil, then using sharpies for outlines and tape for sharp edges.

“I painted a really big sunflower in school, yellow and bright like the sun, and its meaning is to be bright and happy, not sad and down,” she said, describing a painting that brings her joy.

Eigenfeld runs an art club at the school and does art therapy with students individually and in groups. She also won a grant from the City University of New York that brings theater, dance, filmmaking and studio art to students. Those grant-funded activities continued during the pandemic, with CUNY teaching artists making themselves available virtually.

During the 2020–21 school year, Eigenfeld toggled between working with students who were in school and those at home. She created baking nights, movie nights and other activities to keep everyone connected.

“Kids are looking for relationships; my job is to build these relationships,” she said.

She said the challenge of being cooped up in small spaces at home took its toll on students. “Everyone needs a break from their family and needs privacy and space to talk,” she said. “Students would call or email when they had a private moment. Sometimes it would be at 10 at night, when a sibling had fallen asleep.”

Eigenfeld found many students struggling with anxiety around coming back to school this fall, while others are excited to return, socialize and have more of a schedule again. She’s anticipating a lot of social-emotional work in September. On top of all the usual issues for middle-schoolers, some have lost family members, and some have panic attacks when their parents go to work, afraid they will not return.

“We all have this shared trauma I think it’s important to talk about,” she said. “We need to make sure everyone has their support system.”

Bronx Writing Academy Chapter Leader Charlotte Wellington, a 7th-grade history teacher at the school, has seen the difference that Eigenfeld’s work makes, from the blossoming of individual students to the bridges she’s built to parents and the community.

“Her work has been extremely important for our kids during the pandemic,” Wellington said. “She just didn’t stop! She continued to interact and do artwork during lunchtime and in sessions.”

Wellington said the faculty have come to depend on Eigenfeld’s insights into the students’ lives and personal struggles. “As educators, we don’t always get to the root of all the issues our students may be having,” she said. “She makes the connection with students and their parents, so whenever we have questions or problems, she’s part of that circle of teachers who help us navigate and understand. We’ve been blessed to have that.”

Eigenfeld’s students also feel blessed.

“Miss Maureen is very understanding, very outgoing, very joyful and caring,” said Kailani. “She gives you space when you need it and is always there when you need her.”