Trauma triptych: inviting cross-disciplinary collaboration in art therapy, social work, and psychiatry

Abstract

Structured Background: Trauma can impact an individual's ability to process memories, develop a healthy identity, express emotions, maintain focus, navigate relationships, and achieve goals. Despite the potential negative impacts of trauma, specific psychotherapeutic interventions and trauma-informed care provide opportunities for recovery and healing. Context: Creative processes can promote trauma recovery. The literature suggests that creativity can support people in non-verbally processing memories, containing internal chaos, and restoring hope. Approaches: Case examples highlight the approaches of an art therapist, social worker, and psychiatrist who introduced arts-based interventions to traumatized clients. The art therapist explores use of an ancient Japanese approach to repairing pottery with a 23-year-old who experienced sexual abuse and neglect. The social worker discusses how Janusian thinking and “creative destruction” inspired collage-making with a 15-year-old who witnessed domestic violence and experienced depressive symptoms. The psychiatrist considers how traumatic memory processing theory informed her structured drawing approach to traumatic grief work with an aggressive 10-year-old. Outcomes: Use of arts-based interventions assisted in overcoming client resistance to “talk therapy” approaches, offering a non-verbal, expressive alternative and supporting client progress toward treatment goals. Implications for Practice: Reflection on three case vignette led to several practice implications: (1) Professionals should use creative approaches carefully and responsibly, operating within their scope of practice, (2) Professionals should consider how arts-based interventions can strengthen trauma treatment, & (3) Increased provider collaboration and cross-disciplinary dialogue can enhance trauma informed care. Implications for Research: More research on the effectiveness of creative approaches in trauma treatment is needed.