Bridging the cultural gap: Challenges and coping mechanisms employed by Arab art therapists in Israel

Abstract

The current study deals with the gaps encountered by art therapists from the Arab minority in Israel between the knowledge they acquired during their training and the knowledge they have accrued through work with members of their cultural group. Training of therapists in Israel is based on Western theoretical knowledge that, in general, focuses on the individual, self-actualization, and emotional expression. In contrast, collective societies, like the Arab society, typically perceive the collective as being more significant than the individual. This study is based on qualitative, phenomenological research that included in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 13 experienced art therapists and students from the Arab society in Israel. The research asked the question: What do art therapists from Arab societies need to bridge and how do they do this? To date, no research of this question has been done. The findings illuminated three main themes that these therapists experience: (1) the foreignness of psychology and art therapy in Arab society especially among parents, the resistance to artwork, and the alienation of therapy in schools; (2) conflicts between their professional principles and the perceptions of their society in connection with family exposure issues, religion, sexuality, and the duty to report; and (3) gaps between themselves and the Arab society. Their methods of coping include creating a hybrid, dual-cultural identity along a conformist-confrontational continuum. The findings highlight the complexity that art therapists from a cultural minority experience and the intricate strategies which they develop for bridging the gaps.