Updating art therapy guidelines for people with personality disorders: a consensus review

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background The British Association of Art Therapists has specialist interest groups that focus on specific areas of practice, and the need for a review was identified. The author consulted experts in the field of personality disorder and conducted a review of existing guidelines. Art therapy benefits from professional guidelines to ensure safe and effective practices, provide clarity for therapists and maintain consistency in treatment approaches. These guidelines help uphold ethical standards, protect patients’ wellbeing, inform research and promote accountability within the field of art therapy. Aims This paper aims to review and update the professional consensus guidelines for art therapists working with personality disorder, originally published in 2012. Methods A literature search identified new themes relevant to current professional practice. The authors employed semi-structured questionnaires and interviews in the adapted Delphi method process. Experts in the field submitted their responses in three rounds of review. Results Experts in the field indicated that changes were needed to the existing guidelines. The updated guidelines now offer improved clarity regarding practice and more accurately reflect current knowledge in this specific area. Experts reached a consensus on these updated guidelines in the final round of the review process. Conclusions The experts in the field identified significant changes to the guidelines and agreed on the guidelines’ usefulness in enhancing the professional profile and training of student art therapists. Implications for research The updated guidelines will require periodic review in the future to reflect evolving practices and the understanding of effective and safe treatment of personality disorder.