Relationships Between the Therapeutic Alliance and Reactions to Artistic Experience With Art Materials in an Art Therapy Simulation.

Inbal Gazit,Dafna Regev,Sharon Snir,Michal Bat Or

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.560957

Inbal Gazit, Dafna Regev + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.560957

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Abstract

In art therapy, art-making plays an important role in the therapeutic relationship. To better understand the triangular relationship between the art therapist, the client and the artwork, this study investigated the association between the therapeutic alliance and reactions to artistic experiences with art materials in an art therapy simulation. The simulation consisted of a series of 6–8 sessions in which art therapy students were divided into teams composed of a permanent observer (art therapist) and creator (client). The client's role was to self-explore through art- making, and the art therapist's role was to accompany the client. Thirty-four students, all women, who played the art therapist role, and 37 students (one male) who played the client participated in the study. Of these participants, there were 24 pairs where both participants filled out all the questionnaires. A short version of the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) was completed by the clients and the art therapists on the second session (T1) and on the penultimate session (T2). The clients also completed the Art-Based Intervention Questionnaire (ABI) at T2. Significant positive correlations were found between indices of the WAI for the art therapist and the client and the clients' reactions to the artistic experience with art materials on the ABI. The evaluation of the emotional bond between the art therapist and the client at the start of the simulation significantly predicted the client's reactions to the artistic experience with art materials at the end of the simulation and explained 45.4% of the variance for this variable. These findings highlight factors related to the development and influence of the therapeutic alliance, as well as the role of the artistic experience in art therapy and lay the groundwork for further research.

Highlights

The relationship between therapist and client is considered crucial to development, personal growth, therapeutic change, and positive therapeutic outcomes (Gullo et al, 2012)
The means for the Art-Based Intervention Questionnaire (ABI) scales showed that the clients reported a positive overall response to their artistic experience with the art materials, with a General-ABI M = 5.5 (n = 37)
The present study examined the associations between the therapeutic alliance and clients’ responses to their artistic experiences with art materials during an art therapy simulation

Summary

Introduction

The relationship between therapist and client is considered crucial to development, personal growth, therapeutic change, and positive therapeutic outcomes (Gullo et al, 2012). The relationship between the therapist and the client, which is often referred to as the therapeutic alliance (Doran, 2016), is a cornerstone of the psychotherapeutic process (Zilcha-Mano et al, 2014) and is generally viewed as the collaborative component of the therapeutic relationship. In the literature, it is defined as consisting of three components: agreement on the goals of therapy (Goal), collaboration on tasks that help to achieve these goals (Task), and the development of an emotional bond between therapist and client (Bond) (Bordin, 1979). The strength of the therapeutic alliance has been shown to be a major predictor of high psychological functioning, can reduce the severity of negative symptoms, and promote a better quality of life (e.g., Xu and Tracey, 2015)

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