Art therapy in schools – The therapist's perspective

Abstract

The school system is currently one of the key frameworks in which emotional therapy is provided to children in need (French & Klein, 2012). Using the medium of art to provide therapy for children is well established. However, providing interpersonal and emotion led therapy within the context of the educational system faces various hurdles (Glassman & Prasad, 2013). The present study reports part of a larger research project designed which is examining issues involved in integrating art therapy into schools in Israel. The focus of this study is the perceptions of art therapists regarding the implementation of services within educational systems. The aim of the study is to help develop new theoretical conceptualizations and models relevant to therapeutic practice in the education system. The researchers interviewed 15 art therapists and used the CQR (Consensual Qualitative Rconsensual qualitative research) analysis method (Hill, 2012). The study covered four domains: 1. The advantages of practicing art therapy in the educational system as perceived by art therapists; 2. The difficulties encountered by art therapists in the educational system; 3. The tools and approaches implemented by schools to assist art therapists in their work; 4. The tools and approaches used by art therapists to fulfill their task in the educational setting. The findings indicate that the practice of art therapy within schools could be better facilitated by greater knowledge of art therapy within the education system, and greater recognition of the profession of art therapy through processes of state recognition.