How do art therapists act in relation to people who experience borderline personality disorder? A review of the literature

Abstract

The difficulties described by the term borderline personality disorder represent a significant clinical population. The British Association of Art Therapists has prioritised the use of research to improve the effectiveness of art therapy. Defining therapist action in relation to the condition treated is an important part of theory building for such research, but this preparatory stage has arguably been underestimated in many art therapy outcome studies. The present study therefore used a literature review to ask how art therapists act in relation to borderline personality disorder. An international search between 1980 and 2014 revealed 17 relevant studies. Data relevant to the research question were extracted from each paper, grouped thematically and developed into nine propositions that linked therapist action with the condition-specific difficulty they claimed to address. This identified a practice concerned with the process rather than the content of thought. Avoiding interpretation of unconscious symbolism, art was used to enhance joint attention in a teleologically sympathetic process of thinking together with things. This differentiated it from a number of major art therapy models. While propositions were developed, they were not tested in the present study.