Assessing the therapeutic effects of art: An illustrated case study

Abstract

Despite the availability of descriptive case material, there is a considerable deficit in attempts to assess the effects of art therapy objectively. The lack of systematic study may indicate the problems of successfully evaluating any therapeutic process. Standard techniques are often inflexible and insensitive in measurement. These problems can be overcome to a certain extent by monitoring change as it occurs. Slater (1976) monitored changes in a patient’s mental state by means of a personal questionnaire. Records were obtained before and after sessions of psychotherapy and occupational therapy and it proved possible to compare the effects of the two treatments. The inherent features of art therapy lend some assistance to problems in its overall evaluation. The efforts of the patient result in some type of art form which potentially forms the basis for an evaluation and analysis by the patient of his own work and achievements. Also, the objects produced in the session are durable and survive in time; both patient and therapist are therefore able to refer back to previous work as an index of and comparison between his past and present mental state. By showing differences in content and quality, paintings can act as sensitive indicators of change and thereby an additional monitoring device of the therapeutic process. This individual case report describes the course of events in a series of art therapy sessions. Progress is monitored by a self-rating questionnaire and simultaneous assessment of the patient’s work. When considered together, these provide clarification and potential for analysis of the immediate effects of each session. This also allows a global view of the overall therapeutic effect.