Re:should art therapist create alongside their client?

Making art in art therapy sessions along side clients is not a negative act in itself. The art therapist needs to be very clear for what clinical purpose they have chosen to do so. Such art making is to be done when the art therapist believes it is in the interest of the client. For very closed and resistant clients or with those who have very low self-esteem it may convey an initiation to create and become a ‘normalizing’ act. For psychotic clients it can be used as a device for demonstrating a technical procedure in order to hold he client in the here and now and countering an impending decomposition. Etc. There are, however issues that the art therapist needs to be aware of. S/he should not create art for self-gratification. Creating something which is technically far above the clients ability may intimidate the client and have the opposite effect intended. The art therapist cannot loose focus from the issues of the clients and immerse him/herself in the process of their own creation. In brief we need to remember that when we are acting as the custodians of the ‘holding environment’ our first duty is to ensure our clients mental health needs are met and not our own.

Replies:

Re:should art therapist create alongside their client?, by Martin Perdoux, 02/15/03 Re:should art therapist create alongside their client?, by Hoda Mazloomian MA, ATR, LCPC, 03/07/03 Re:should art therapist create alongside their client?, by Anni W, M.A. (psych)., 08/12/03

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