shoshiegherts

[shoshiegherts]

Methods and Methodologies

Over the last few months, I have been blogging about different areas of Art Therapy that I have found interesting. I’ve used various different research methods and now I will write about why I chose these subjects, their effectiveness and how useful they are to my continued development of learning on this course. I will also discuss the research methods that I found to be the most helpful when learning about different areas of Art Therapy.

Methods

Practice Based

Research and Enquiry Tutorials and Reflective Practice Groups

Our Research and Enquiry Tutorials have been a brilliant way to discuss our own research and different research that others in the group have found. We were able to talk about our blogs, what research methods we have used and why they are applicable to our own practice. This was a great way to reflect on our own blog research and perhaps learn more about a topic that we have written about. In our Reflective Practice Groups (RPGs), we reflect on each of our placements this year. Because of COVID-19, we a) have not all been offered placement and b) can attend placement due to schools closing. Although this isn’t a stereotypical tool of research but it was very interesting to hear people talk about their primary, secondary and tertiary research that they have done. Because all the participants in the RPGs are on the same course as I am, I believe that they’re research would be valid as they are set with the same guidelines as me. There is also the personal tutor who is also an Art Therapist on the call with us to confirm the research and able to give guidance on where to look further into specific subjects. This has definitely been an effective research method in gaining more understanding around Art Therapy subject knowledge and experiences others are having.

Art Making

Whilst researching for this blog, I have been composing my own art in order to reflect visually to what I have been learning. This can be a good method of research in the same way as Art Therapists help clients do; to discover conscious and unconscious thoughts and feelings one might be feeling about a particular event. In this case, my own art making can reflect on the learning I have done, how I feel about it and perhaps learn something about myself as an artist. It could even display what I have learnt visually i.e. if I have learnt about Attachment Theory, I could draw what this looks like. By doing this, I am also developing my own practice an becoming increasingly better at being an Art Therapist; by reflecting on my own artwork, thinking about what I have made and exploring the themes behind it. I have learnt through this module the methods I like and do not like to make art.

Group Workshops and Lectures

Due to the Global Pandemic, we have been unable to participate in experiential workshops and all workshops that have taken place have been online. Our course leaders usually run these learning workshops. They have provided excellent PowerPoints and discussed relevant Art Therapy research with us. On some occasions, guest speakers come to talk about their area of expertise in the Art Therapy field. We are given lots of reading and resources to look at before and after the lecture. Some of the reading that has been set out has been a part of the blog posts I have done. This research is definitely valuable and valid as it has been sent out from our course leaders, both of which are involved with writing journal articles and also inserts for academic books. Therefore, lectures are a great source of research for me and I enjoy talking in small groups in ‘breakout rooms’ on Zoom about the texts and questions that the lecture is about. We are also given guidance on how to work as an Art Therapist. From participating in the lectures, I feel I have learnt a great amount of research and skills of how to work as an Art Therapist.

Reading Based

Journal articles

I have read many peer reviewed articles in researching for my blog. They have proven to be the most enriching way of learning for me. I have read academic papers but also some more personal and subjective journal articles. They usually focused on ongoing research and theories that are discussed nowadays making them very relevant today. I prefer reading journal articles as they explore deeper into specific elements of Art Therapy that I have read about in books. The researchers have dedicated a lot of time into researching, practicing and writing about the particular subject and due to it being peer reviewed, the reliability and accuracy of the articles are credible. Objective and subjective methodology approaches are both used in journal articles. Facts are presented and this is the basis of research that is done, however there is also subjectivity in that the area of research is clearly written about from a passionate point of view. This means that the author has a personal connection and will to research the area which they have written about. Later on in this post I will discuss whether Art Therapy research can even be objective due to the personalisation of therapy sessions and research around it and the self reflection that is done.

Books

Books are a great way to research subjects and findings surrounding the area of Art Therapy. They are a reliant tool to utilise for research as they can be written by several authors, but also are much lengthier than journal articles and as a result; contain more information, theories and discussion. A book can be both individually written and published or peer reviewed like articles. Sometimes when I look through books, I will only read particular chapters that I believe will be more useful to me and/or are relevant to my practice. It is a rigorous editorial process that comes with publishing an academic book. An editor or group of scholars evaluate the work's quality and only then it can be published. Therefore a book is similar to an article in that sense, both are reviewed intensely by other scholars in order to be published. This leads me to really believe that books are reliable sources of information and research.

Exhibition and Museum visits

Because of COVID-19 and the lockdowns that have been in place, I have been unable to visit any exhibition in a museum. In place of this, I have watched videos of the artists, researched how the curation of the gallery took place, and read reviews and information about the exhibitions from newspapers and the museum website. Unfortunately, I could not find any online exhibitions that I found to be interesting. I explored Tracey Emin and David Mvunch’s exhibition by look on various websites and reading articles about people’s thoughts, the presentation of the artwork and looking at the artwork themselves. Museums are always a good source of primary research for learning. Exhibitions usually allow me develop more knowledge and explore a particular artist, issue or topic in depth and they are also visually stimulating. Researching online exhibitions isn’t the same as there is no novelty of seeing the artwork yourself and work requires us to be staring at screens all day. Seeing artworks in person is vastly different and I cannot wait to visit an exhibition post lockdown and COVID-19.

Methodologies

Qualitative vs Quantitative research

Qualitative and Quantitative data are extremely differently types of data.  Qualitative research is exploratory and factual based research. Individuals use this research to understand underlying problems, opinions and reasons. You can use it to develop ideas, theories and reveal trends in thought and opinions. This is commonly done using methods such as interviews with groups or individually, observations, and focus groups with a specified amount of people to ensure fair data outcomes. Therefore one could say that Qualitative research is more verbal. Quantitive research is numerical data, in the form of statistics, and is used to quantify opinions, attitudes and theories and other variables. Usually the sample size from this type of research is larger than Qualitative research. It uses its data to measure patterns in its research and are very structured in its methods of collecting this data. It can be in the form of online surveys, graphs, polls and interviews.

The Research and Enquiry groups and RPGs provided qualitative data as I was listening to experiences and feedback in a small group setting. During these groups, I was not collecting data however this is the type of setting someone could conduct qualitative research in. We all shared our experiences in placement and with our university assignment and reflected on how we were feeling. Advice and support from our peers was given; support such as empathy and advice such as a book of piece of text we could read which relates to our feelings and opinions. This was usually a journal article, a secondary research source, that someone else in the group had read. Thinking about if I could use qualitative research in the future after graduating as an Art Therapist, I will be seeing multiple clients from different backgrounds with different vulnerabilities and perhaps this will be a good place to start. As a trainee, I feel it is ethically irresponsible as I am still training and learning and I also don’t see many clients to conduct this type of research.

Objective vs Subjective?

As an Art Therapist trainee, I wonder if any of the work I have researched and artwork I have produced have been objective. I am definitely influenced by my passions for different areas of Art Therapy and therefore my work has been mostly subjective. My methods of research have included books and journal articles and reflecting on these through writing and art making. Reflecting visually and through text has generally led me to think more about my own opinions and has led me to think further into a different piece of research. 

From reading many books and texts for this assignment, I have come to realise that text on Art Therapy is vastly subjective. Books, articles and journals written by Art Therapists must include the facts, however these ‘facts’ are mainly associated with the history of Art Therapy. History, of course, is objective in terms of dates. Today’s articles cite this history but some then conduct their own research of statistics and data to develop a theory that perhaps was concocted many years ago. This leaves me with the question that if a piece of writing includes these surveys, data and information; is this research then objective? 

Authors will use these objective facts to base their opinions and reflections on for the continuation of analysing different aspects of Art Therapy and developing it. Because the assignment asked to be current, I have found that books and papers are written from a personal point of view and opinion, even if they are based on facts. This is probably because the I have read a lot of research papers including surveys and experiences that the author has had in their field of Art Therapy meaning that what we know about Art Therapy today has come from practitioners developing what it is and where it is most effectively used. I believe my blog reflects on the reading I have completed, it is mostly subjective as I have had to talk about my own practice, without having placement due to COVID-19, and discuss my opinions on what is written in the texts.

In conclusion, I think that whilst Art Therapy publications are very subjective, there is still an element of objectivity to them. If I am reading a paper or a book that includes information, data and surveys - this is an objective element of the paper. However, the rest of the paper discussing interpretations and arguments of the facts is still subjective. This is because they are reflecting on the facts making up the latter of the research. In the same way, if a study is written based on reflections and research, there are usually theory and clinical examples that are cited into the paper making this both a subjective and objective piece of text.

When researching theories and facts relating to Art Therapy, my learning and understanding of these are objective however my reflections and opinions definitely contribute to the learning from a subjective point of view. When I am practicing my art and when I eventually become an Art Therapist, it is important to be subjective as we are showing the individual empathy and support - and we want them to see that in us.

Approaches to Research

Thinking about which approach I have taken during my research of this module, I feel I have taken a reflective approach. Studying Art Therapy, a lot of the work that we do is very reflective whether it be with clients, or on our own art work and on relevant research. Reflection is arguably the most important approach. It is a strong tool when consolidating information read and learned. It can enable individuals to think about their learning and form their own opinions on the facts, theories and studies that have been written about. Reflection is not just about written work, but also about the practical work that Art Therapists are involved in. This can be during sessions with clients, reflecting on the work they have composed, the artwork we have produced as a ‘response’ to their work and generally making art based on how we are feeling.

I have researched Art Therapy topics that I feel have related to me, where I wish to work in my career and my own interests. I have also viewed the research that I have done in the viewpoint of an Art Therapist and client perspective. This is seen in my blog posts about working in schools, working with SEN children and other blog posts. 

In conclusion, I have used a variety of different research methods for this assignment. I have undertaken primary and secondary research and studied quantitate and qualitative data in papers and articles. This has all enhanced my learning and understanding of Art Therapy as a whole and helped guide me in which direction of Art Therapy I wish to go into.

[shoshiegherts]

Reflecting on my Critical Analysis through Art

My Critical Analysis tackled the subject of ‘Response Art’. The article that I based it off was Barbara Fish’s journal article on Response Art: The Art of the Art Therapist. As I could only explore 2 pages of the article in my Critical Analysis, I discussed 2 different ways that Art Therapists can use response art in their own practice and personal life. I thought about one of the uses which was ‘as a container’ (Fish, 2020). 

A container could mean different things. In Fish’s paper, I believe she discusses the idea as the artwork contains feelings and emotions as an outlet. I thought it would be interesting to think of a different definition of container as a blog post and show it through a form of artwork I have composed. 

Contained art could be defined as art that we can control and contains exactly what we intend it to look like. I make art all of the time using tools such as pencils, crayons, charcoal which are all methods of having good control over your art. Tools such as paint can be more tricky due to the choice of brush and pigment of colour, but yet there is still a lot of control by the painter. 

I decided that I would use a method of art called Brusho in which I have no control over the result. This means that I cannot have any expectations of the end product and sometimes the paint would drip off the sides meaning that it cannot be contained. Before buying Brusho paints, I watched a video tutorial (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKjEsAddSSk&ab_channel=IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber) on how to use the paints and different techniques to use. I then purchased the paints off of Amazon and got started when they arrived.

I used plain white watercolour paper as a base for the brusho powders to go onto. The set contained 12 powder colours. The idea was to pour small amounts of the powders onto the paper, making a decision on which colours would look good together or which colours I felt like using. Once you pour the Brusho powder scattered around the paper, you spray water onto it from afar and the powder liquifies and moves around the paper creating texture, paint streaks and bursts of different colours (due to the powders containing more colours inside than the one labelled). I have uploaded 4 which I have created below.

Figure 1: Shoshie Greenbaum (2021) Untitled

Figure 2: Shoshie Greenbaum (2021) Untitled

Figure 3: Shoshie Greenbaum (2021) Forest of Paradise

Figure 4: Shoshie Greenbaum (2021) Under the Aqua.

Overall I really didn’t think I would enjoy the idea of uncontrollable art but I became so engrossed in watching the process of wetting the powder to create paint that I forgot any intentions that I may have held. It took me a few tries to create these paintings as the first few times I was getting used to how much powder to sprinkle, how much water to add, however I realised there was no specific quantities required. It was about personal preference as to how I want the colours to spread out, blend and create texture. I really enjoyed this experience and will definitely be creating more brusho art work as I almost thrive off of creating uncontained art now. I am happy I stepped out my comfort zone to explore this area of art making and I’m sure it will help me when I guide individuals to make art in Art Therapy sessions as I go on.

Bibliography and References:

Fish, B., 2012. Response Art: The Art of the Art Therapist. Art Therapy, [online] 29(3), pp.138-143. Available at: <https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/doi/pdf/10.1080/07421656.2012.701594?needAccess=true> [Accessed 25 December 2020].

Watercolor Tips and Techniques (How to Use Brusho). 2019. [video] Directed by M. Webber. London: YouTube.

[shoshiegherts]

Bobby Lloyd lecture: Art Therapy and the Materials

We received a lecture at University this week about Art Therapy and the importance of the materials that clients will use during sessions. I was left really inspired by the topic of materials. I thought about the materials that I have at my placement and what materials I could put in my clients’ art boxes in order to help express themselves fully. I also thought about the power that different art tools have.

Bobby Lloyd was the guest lecturer of this session. She started off by asking us which art materials we use, when we use them, why and with whom? How would we help someone decide which art materials to use/fits their artistic intentions? We were also asked if we have knowledge about the art materials that we have given clients to choose from. Having studied Photographic Arts and not Art, I am unfamiliar with how more unknown art materials are use. This is something I will work on - looking at the art tools, studying different techniques and how best to use them. I will look at charcoal drawings, oil pastels and Brusho. These are materials I have seen and loved and I’ve wanted to use and understand for a long time.

We were then split up into groups in breakout rooms on Zoom. We had to brainstorm all the possible art materials that an artist might use. Initially, we started listing typical art materials you might find in an art studio such as paint, pencils, brushes, ink, plaster and glue. However this expanded and became more broad listing things like newspaper, clay, objects around the house, camera, clothing, makeup, etc. Before we knew it, we were listing art materials that wouldn’t even be found inside! Examples of this were objects of nature such as leaves, bark and twigs, mud, sand, water etc. An artist can use anything to create art. This can be something tangible or something fluid. When we came back to the group to discuss what we had all collated, everyone had concluded the same. Artists are not confined to a space or to the standard art materials, they have the freedom and ability to work with any material anywhere.

Lloyd then posed the following question to us: Are these art materials and media different from those an art therapist might use when working with people? There are many differences between an artist and an art therapists. In this manner of making art, the art therapist is not main art maker however the artist is. An art therapist is typically known for having a space to conduct sessions. Usually, because of contracting and it becoming a safe space for clients, the therapist and client do not leave the room during sessions. So to, the art materials that a client can use are therefore limited to being in that space. Things such as using nature as a canvas, throwing pottery and even using movement as art are ruled out in places like schools and hospitals due to the idea of Art Therapy being in a contained and safe space. The question should not be “are they different?” but should be “why should they be different?”. We as art therapist trainees are encouraging children to express themselves through art, but how can our clients do that without the materials that they need to do this to the full potential? This is something I thought about when attending placement the following week. As I have just started with clients, I decided that starting in a safe space with them needs continuation and consistency. However, I thought about the limitations of the art materials that were in the cupboard. I compiled a box each for the two clients I would be seeing and wrote down some art materials that were slightly out the box but definitely important tools for expression. I asked my supervisor to purchase clay, plasticine, Play-Doh, colouring pencils and new felt tips as the old ones were blunt. The following week when I met my clients for the first time, one of them gasped as she opened the box and exclaimed with excitement and said that “there are new colouring pencils!”.

‘In their broadest sense, materials and media are the constituents through which meaning is made. They are intermediaries between private ideas, thoughts, feelings and concepts, and their external manifestation in tangible sensual form. Whether traditional fine art materials, found objects, craft materials, or technology-based media, they serve as the sensory-based, tangible equivalents of the vocabulary used in written or spoken exchange.... Full appreciation of the diverse art-making vocabulary at the disposal of art therapists requires understanding of conventional materials and media use in art therapy and examination of art therapy’s intersection with contemporary art practices. It is also essential to understand the theoretical underpinnings of materials and media use in art therapy... (Moon 2010, xv)

Reflecting on what Moon says, we need to understand the art materials themselves to enable our clients to use them efficiently. How can we use a material that we don’t understand to communicate something unconscious in our thoughts? The importance of researching not just the psychology behind Art Therapy but the practical side of using art tools to create is also a priority. By understanding what we are using to create art, we are adding another dimension of language to our work. We are then able to observe someone else using the tool in their own way and understand what they are trying to communicate.

Bibliography/References

Moon, C. H. (2010). Materials & media in art therapy: critical understandings of diverse artistic vocabularies. New York, NY, Routledge.

[shoshiegherts]

The switch to online Art Therapy during COVID-19

The global pandemic has not been easy for anyone. We are experiencing daily increasing cases of COVID, hundreds of deaths, increased anxiety, depression, suicides and businesses and workers being made redundant. The uncertainty and anxieties of this pandemic have caused a surge in mental health difficulties in the UK, especially with people aged 18-24.

“Over two-thirds of adults (69%) said they were very or somewhat worried about the effect that the coronavirus (COVID-19) was having on their life now. This is similar to last week (67%), however, there has been a downward trend in the number of people reporting feeling this way since data collection started (27 March 2020).” (Davies, 2020)

There are many factors which are causing this surge in numbers. There are issues of having to work from home, self isolating, avoiding contact with people in public, the uncertainty of the future, etc. All of these factors and more contribute to the decline in peoples’ mental health. Weekly surveys have been done by Office of National Statistics throughout the coronavirus pandemic to keep track peoples’ mental health since April 2020. They interviewed 1550 people for the most recent survey on 13th December. These individuals were given set scenarios that could potentially be affecting their mental health at that point in time. Some examples were “spending too much time with others in household”, “no one to talk to about my worries”, “feeling stressed or anxious”, “feeling lonely”, “feeling worried about the future”, etc. (Office of National Statistics, 2020) One statistic that stood out to me was the mean average of mental health. The first report done on 1559 individuals, the mean average of those experiencing anxiety was 5.2% (Office of National Statistics, 2020), compared to the latest report with 1550 people being interviewed.  The mean average of those experiencing anxiety was 59% (Office of National Statistics, 2020).

Because of the increase of anxiety, depression and other mental health difficulties, there is a higher demand for therapy. Art Therapy during the pandemic outside of schools cannot take place in person. As a result of this, some practitioners have transferred their in-person therapy to online Art Therapy. I have undertaken online Art Therapy since starting this MA. Having been in Art Therapy when I was younger, I can remember the experience in person and I know how I am feeling now about having an online experience. The two are extremely different, I am now able to articulate my thoughts and feelings more, express those through my artwork and reflect on them afterwards. It is a truly odd experience to have not met my therapist in person yet. Online Art Therapy has expanded immensely since the start of COVID-19 outbreak in March. Zubala and Hackett conducted a survey from June-August through JISC (an online survey platform) which asked UK based Art Therapists that are currently practicing as well as trainees of their experience with Art Therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

96 Art Therapists took part in this survey and answered these specific research questions:

- ‘How do art therapists work with clients online? (Which technologies do thy use? Have they had suitable training? How confident they feel?)

- How do art therapists manage risks in online practice for themselves and for their clients?

- What does support (and would further support) art therapists in working online and in particular, in ensuring safety for their clients and themselves?’

(Zubala & Hackett, 2020)

The main points of discussion from the answers given by the art therapists were about the advantages of art therapy being accessed online and the praise for technology being able to connect people but also the concerns around safeguarding, ethics and safety with clients. The art therapists came from different backgrounds and specialised in different setting groups. Some worked within the NHS, schools, with young children, with adults, in prisons, etc. Clinical supervision has also been moved online and has been helpful to art therapists struggling with the change and development of online art therapy. Supervisors have been able to provide good advice for art therapists surrounding the issues of safety and wellbeing of their clients. Support from colleagues has also been vital during this time as restrictions have heightened and lessened and rules are changing and reassurance and guidance is needed.

The majority of the respondents (87.5%) were able to move their practice online and provide art therapy with their clients via applications such as Zoom, Whatsapp and Skype. However, not all of the therapists were able to move online during the pandemic. This was due to many variables. Art therapists were concerned about the space of which an online therapy session could happen - if a client does not have a safe space in their house to call the art therapist, the safeguarding of clients being within their house, technical issues of the WiFi, etc. Other factors could also have been of those who work with children, they might not being able to concentrate on screen for a long period of time; prisoners not having access to zoom/online facilities; being unable to conduct a therapy contact with the client. A lot of the art therapists felt that training should be required to move therapy online as it bears lots of important advantages and risks. “Only 31.3% declared that they had received training in using digital technology in art therapy sessions” (Zubala & Hackett, 2020). Although this is a low percentage, online therapy is very new. The fact that sufficient training could be provided means that HCPC have worked quickly due to the unforeseen circumstance of moving online to ensure that therapists and clients would be able to provide their service within the new guidelines. The BAAT (British Association of Art Therapists) provide online courses on ‘Online Art Therapy Groups’. The aim of the course is to “develop your understanding of offering art therapy groups online. Topics will include delivering art therapy groups online, creating engaging environments, issues and challenges, technical advice, group dynamics and case examples” (BAAT, 2020). At the beginning of COVID-19 there was little guidance as to how to approach this rapid shift to providing art therapy online. It is incredible that the BAAT and art therapists have taken on the role of providing courses for art therapists to ensure that everyone meets the same guidelines when conducting online therapy sessions.

No one knows what the future will hold, art therapy could be online for the next few years. In this case, I predict that more training, rules and guidelines will be given to art therapists and perhaps even will become part of studying Art Therapy MA as the likelihood of being online when first qualified is likely. Personally, I have found the staying at home and switch to being online quite lonely. I have been in self isolation twice due to contact with a positive case of Coronavirus. This has happened twice since November due to school and found the dark feelings quite overwhelming. Reflecting on the switch to online, I painted this painting (figure 1).

Figure 1: Shoshana Greenbaum, ‘Can you see me?’, 2020.

I painted this picture after researching for this blog post. I feel as if the whole world revolves around COVID at the moment, everywhere you look people are talking about it, it is on posters, on the radio etc. I have great worries of contracting the virus, passing it on to others, having to self isolate again. It is all a bit overwhelming. The research for this blog was done when I was in self isolation for the second time. I felt very lonely and emotional all the time and probably was quite depressed. Starting in the middle, I painted a blue circle and added some yellow once it had dried. I used watercolour paints and diluted them a lot so that they would run down the paper into the puddle at the bottom. These running drips reminded me of all of the tears that I cried over being trapped inside of my house and not being able to get any fresh air other than with my window open. The core of the painting had two very different meanings to me. One was what I felt my heart and brain looked like - broken up with yellow but mainly blue conveying my sadness and loneliness. When reviewing this painting with my therapist, she enquired as to whether the yellow was possibly some hope or happiness I felt deep down inside. Looking at this artwork now, I have no recollection of painting the yellow but could remember the blue greatly. Perhaps my sadness at the time protruded my mind and even until now I could not see the light.

I feel sad looking back at this painting as this was only last month and I’ve come a long way since then. Through this process of reflection, I am able to empathise greatly with clients and also therapists who have switched to online. Children who aren’t able to go to school, young people who cannot attend university, adults who are working from home, they probably feel like they are also trapped. Therapists who must work online must be extremely busy and overwhelmed as all their work has been moved to a screen which is usually only part of the admin of an Art Therapist. I hope that online art therapy training will expand and that the clients will be able to receive and feel the full effect that art therapy is known for for themselves.

Bibliography/References

Davies, R., 2020. Coronavirus And The Social Impacts On Great Britain - Office For National Statistics. [online] Ons.gov.uk. Available at: <https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandwellbeing/bulletins/coronavirusandthesocialimpactsongreatbritain/5june2020> [Accessed 28 December 2020].

Miller, G. and McDonald, A., 2020. Online art therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Art Therapy, [online] 25(4), pp.159-160. Available at: <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17454832.2020.1846383> [Accessed 28 December 2020].

Office of National Statistics, 2020. Coronavirus And The Social Impacts On Great Britain. [online] London, p.11. Available at: <https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandwellbeing/datasets/coronavirusandthesocialimpactsongreatbritaindata/current> [Accessed 28 December 2020].

Zubala, A. and Hackett, S., 2020. Online art therapy practice and client safety: a UK-wide survey in times of COVID-19. International Journal of Art Therapy, [online] 25(4), pp.161-171. Available at: <https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17454832.2020.1845221> [Accessed 28 December 2020].

[shoshiegherts]

Making ‘Response Art’ as an Art Therapist

‘Response Art’ is a fairly new term. It means that the therapist can make art reflecting on their art therapy work with clients, helping them to process the information and events of the day. Art Therapists have been doing this since it has been around, not just through making artwork but also through creating poems and writing music. A therapist can hear a lot of trauma, darkness and information in a day, making art is widely known for it’s advantage of improving mental health and wellbeing. Combined, it is a great way for therapists to unwind and collate their thoughts together in order to start a new day.

Art Therapists observe and help guide their clients to uncover the unconscious thoughts that perhaps are on their mind surrounding events in their lives.  Therapists can talk to supervisors regarding difficulties they are having about clients, however Art can reveal feelings that cannot be communicated through speech but what people are thinking unconsciously. When the Art Therapist makes art, they do the same process to themselves. Making ‘response art’ can become almost a diary of a therapists daily life the same way a journal can be to a person.

Having created my own reflection work after seeing clients and after feeling overwhelmed in my personal life, I understand the importance of response art as an art therapist trainee.

The article ‘Response Art: The Art of the Art Therapist’ written by Barbara J. Fish talks about the advantages of making response art in different art therapy settings. She discusses cases that she has personally been involved with where therapists or herself have made response art to reflect on different and difficult interactions and experiences with clients. The sections of the article include Response Art as a Container, to Communicate Empathy, to Aid With Countertransference in Supervision and in Clinical Training (Fish, 2012). When I picked up this article I could not put it down. I was engrossed in the stories that Fish told of her experiences and felt as if she was almost talking to me in the journal. I think I might choose this piece for my Critical Analysis assignment as part of this module.

As mentioned above, the advantages of response art are mentioned for art therapists in this article. Some of the advantages include helping the art therapists “bear difficult material and explore the meaning of our own experiences, transition from work to personal life, supporting healthy equilibrium as we contend with inevitable personal or darker sides of ourselves that may arise as part of providing therapy” (Fish, 2012).

Reading the empathy section of the article reminded me of the book ‘Conversations that Matter’ by Margo Sunderland. She doesn’t specifically mention ‘Response Art’, however she refers to it in her research when working with children/adolescents. Sunderland incorporates art into her therapy sessions with children. She refers to an idea called “The Great Empathy Drawing” (Sunderland, 2015). This is when after a child finishes telling an adult a story of an event that has occurred or something personal, the adult should draw what it looks like on a piece of paper with the child watching. They should then ask the child “Is this what happened?” or “Is this what it feels like?”. They should then further ask the child if they agree with the picture and enquire whether they would like to add to the image in another marker. This way, the child feels as if the adult understands them and they are being empathised with.

Before my first sessions with my clients at placement, I created art that I would respond to after my first sessions. This was also a good way for me to transition from work to personal life. This art was made in the same room as I worked with clients straight before and after writing up my notes.

Figure 1: Shoshie Greenbaum, Untitled (2020)

This art is in figure 1. It symbolises my initial fear and anxiety towards starting sessions with clients and also the risk of COVID being added. It’s quite an uncertain time, studying art therapy during a global pandemic. I have used colours I used the colours on the outer layer, the blues and reds before the session. I think I was feeling a bit all over the place thinking about the expectations, the realities, the seriousness and the formalities of the first session with clients. This was the foundation session that would set the rest of the sessions. After the sessions, I added the black, green and yellow in the middle. This symbolised me emotionally regulating and saying it’s ok to feel anxious but when it gets down to it, the middle ground is the place to be. Getting to the Green Zone is very important, remaining calm and collect in order to gather thoughts, form sentences and articulate thinking - especially during sessions where I will be the therapist. My first sessions with clients went well and we started to form the therapeutic relationship. I look forward to future sessions with my clients to develop this relationship further and enable more reflective thinking on their art with them.

Bibliography/References:

Fish, B., 2012. Response Art: The Art of the Art Therapist. Art Therapy, [online] 29(3), pp.138-143. Available at: <https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/doi/pdf/10.1080/07421656.2012.701594?needAccess=true> [Accessed 25 December 2020].

Sunderland, M., 2015. Conversations That Matter: Talking With Children And Teenagers In Ways That Help. 1st ed. Great Britain: TJ International Ltd.

[shoshiegherts]

Silence and Art Therapy from the Therapist’s and Client’s perspective

Silence during a therapy session holds many different interpretations according to various psychotherapists. For example, Sigmund Freud views silence as a ‘resistance to interpretation’ (Regev, Kurt and Snir, 2016), Karl Benjamin views silence as a ‘defence mechanism related to the need for control’ (Regev, Kurt and Snir, 2016). If one is silent, in today’s society this can be interpreted as being rude, shy or that person is deemed a good listener. A lot of the time, we don’t know the meaning of our own silences. We can be deep in thought, we could be avoiding eye contact or overthinking.

Starting my placement and art therapy sessions with children, I have become very aware of my place as an Art Therapist. I work 2 days a week as a teacher at a SEN school in Brent. My job there is to talk and educate the children and answer any questions they have regarding the subject I am teaching. My job on placement is to listen, empathise and reflect with my client. They are 2 very different jobs as I’ve come to realise. Sometimes it is hard making that switch from a Wednesday to Thursday. I also notice that in my own therapy, sometimes there is silence which to me is extremely deafening. However, I’ve come to learn that art therapy sessions are mainly client lead. If I am silent, then my therapist is silent. She will sometimes ask me prompting questions, however it’s mostly client lead. I think the silence is always more deafening for the client. I have gathered this opinion as in my art therapy sessions with clients, the silence usually leads to the client opening up as perhaps they realise I am there to listen. However, during my art therapy sessions when I am the client, I feel a sort of responsibility to keep up the conversation and so I feel the pressure of conversing.

First I will talk about silence from a client’s perspective. In a journal by H.M Levitt he says that there are 7 types of pauses in people. However he goes on to say that the 3 main categories of silences are ‘emotional, expressive and reflective pauses’ (Levitt, 2001). These are the ‘highest order pauses’. Emotional pauses are when people are silent due to emotional conflict or comprehending their pain. This according to Lane, Koetting and Bishop means that “the client’s silence can convey emotional messages, enable healthy regression to earlier mother–child relationships and restore the client’s adaptive responses” (Regev, Kurt and Snir, 2016). I have experiences this mode of silence when I have been in therapy. I have been emotional and I almost feel too numb to talk. I am processing my emotions within and letting myself be hurt as I feel it is healthy to feel the depth of my own emotions. The second mode of silence is expressive. This means that the person will be silent because they cannot comprehend and gather their thoughts and feelings. This is due to past situations where the client has had no guided experience with being able to put their thoughts into words. Reflective silence occurs when clients distance themselves from an emotional experience taking place during therapy. They become aware of ideas, and focus on their internal experiences (Benjamin, 1981; Levitt, 2001, 2002; Trad, 1993).

These are all very different types of processing silently. As an Art Therapist, my job will be to analyse which types of silences my client may be demonstrating and help them use silence as a productive tool to emotionally process and reflect on their feelings. The earlier intervention of productive silences are used then later on in life, teenagers/adolescents and adults will be able to process their thoughts more coherently and perhaps will be able to use silence as a healing tool instead of feeling stuck for words.

On the other side, the silence of an Art Therapist will be explored now. The silence of an Art Therapist during sessions with clients is entirely different to the client’s silence. When an Art Therapist is silent, this can usually mean that the therapist is using silence to listen to the client and demonstrate empathy using facial expressions and body language to fill this quietness. Feeling listened to is an extremely important aspect of therapy. The client can find a talkative therapist quite overwhelming and perhaps even feel a lack of support from them which could be detrimental to a client’s future perception of having therapy. They may feel that the therapist doesn’t understand and is not supportive of how they are feeling. Some silences in therapy are client led, however a lot of the silences are therapist led. One type of silence which is client led is known as ‘silent listening’ (Regev, Kurt and Snir, 2016). This is where the silence is the therapist listening and internalising the information given by the client and the client is giving time to feel and process their own emotions and thoughts. It is a challenge for both people in a way to give time to the therapeutic process of thinking, expressing and reflecting. The second silence is to do with the therapist.

“During the early stages of therapy, therapists use silence to assess or deliberate about the client. Later in the process, therapists use silence as a tool to examine their thoughts and feelings about the client and plan their responses. Alternatively, silence is used when therapists feel distracted by their own emotional content. In the case of inexperience on the part of the therapist, awkward moments of silence can occur, which may be interpreted by the client as ambivalence or avoidance on the part of the therapist”. (Regev, Kurt and Snir, 2016)

This type of silence can be quite conflicting for the client. They could feel quite uncomfortable or traumatised by this quietness. The therapist must demonstrate that this silence, whilst is unnatural, can also give the client time to think about their own thoughts. Perhaps this is why this exercise is done earlier on in the therapeutic relationship as then the client could become more comfortable with the silence and develop a sense of safeness with the therapist and the space they are in.

This is an area of therapy that I find to be fascinating. In my own personal therapy, I notice that any of the silences that I lead tend to be more comfortable for me as I notice my thoughts and feelings developing in my brain and body. Whereas the silences led by my art therapist were more awkward as I was intrigued to know what her thoughts were and what her reaction would be to my expression of my feelings.

Bibliography/References

Regev, D., Chasday, H. and Snir, S., 2016. Silence during art therapy—The client's perspective. The Arts in Psychotherapy, [online] 48, pp.69-75. Available at: <https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S0197455615300150?via%3Dihub> [Accessed 25 December 2020].

Regev, D., Kurt, H. and Snir, S., 2016. Silence during art therapy: The art therapist’s perspective. International Journal of Art Therapy, [online] 21(3), pp.86-94. Available at: <https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/doi/pdf/10.1080/17454832.2016.1219754?needAccess=true> [Accessed 25 December 2020].

Freud, S. (1912/1958). The dynamics of transference. In J. Strachey (Ed., & Trans.), The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud (vol. 12, pp. 99–108). London: Hogarth Press

Levitt, H., 2001. Sounds of Silence in Psychotherapy: The Categorization of Clients' Pauses. Psychotherapy Research, [online] 11(3), pp.295-309. Available at: <https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.herts.ac.uk/doi/pdf/10.1080/713663985?needAccess=true> [Accessed 25 December 2020].

[shoshiegherts]

Tracey Emin/Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul

The Royal Academy of Arts is displaying an exhibition from Tracey Emin in collaboration with Edvard Munch called ‘The Loneliness of the Soul’. Edvard Munch was a Norwegian Painter, one of his most famous artworks includes “The Scream”. He was born in 1863 and died in 1944. During Munch’s childhood, he experienced a lot of illness, death and fear of inheriting a mental condition that ran in his family.

Emin has been a huge fan of Munch since her teenage years and and calls him a pioneer for the future of art. This is because she admired his honesty and candidness which is reflected in his paintings. She acknowledges that it’s rare for a man to be this open about the things he is going through and praises him for it. Emin’s work is similar as it reflects the same emotions such as fear, sickness, jealousy and pain. She first chose paintings from his collections that matched the emotions of paintings that she has composed and put them together for this exhibition.

The title of the exhibitions ‘The Loneliness of the Soul’ makes the viewer focus on the essence of the works displayed. The art on the walls is about the soul. Emin describes her work as being about suffering, pain and feeling alone in those emotions. Munch’s paintings of men and women convey the same feelings, he makes the paintings feel personal and relatable for people going through the same pain. Munch uses harsh colours and thick texture to highlight where the pain in the body lies, the emotions of the person in the painting and where they are during this suffering. Both Emin’s and Munch’s work transferred their own pain and feelings onto their artwork. They are raw pieces of art.

Due to COVID-19, I was unable to go and visit the exhibition in time to write this piece. However, I was able to watch videos of the exhibition, read reviews and research the painters and their artworks in the exhibition.

Figure 1: Tracey Emin: I never Asked to Fall in Love - You made me Feel like This (2018)

Emin painted this piece of art depicting a woman who is reclining, falling into a blood red sea. She titled it “I never Asked to Fall in Love - You made me Feel like this”. This artwork stood out to me, not only the painting but the title too. When I look at this composition, I see a woman lying in a pool of her own blood which seems to be suffocating her. The blood is falling from the sky and the pain takes over her body, deepening in the bottom with the darker use of red. I can also see a hand with scissors of a knife, something of which can cause pain just above the woman’s body. Experiencing heartbreak is overwhelming. Our minds are in pain, this pain can contrude through the body, of which the brain is in control. Interestingly enough, on the top part of the woman’s head, there is no running blood, just stains of darker and perhaps older blood. This could mean that her brain has experienced this heartbreak previously, however her body has never felt pain like this. Emin’s artwork contains a huge amount of expression, emotion and meaning. The colours, like Munch’s work, are so poignant and striking that it leaves you feeling pain. It almost makes the un-empathetic, empathetic.

I created my own response to this image using Brusho powder paints (figure 2). I decided that I wanted to work with more colours than just red. so I used yellow and dark browns. These reminded me of earth colours which I feel connect with the most at the moment due to the many walks I have been taking recently. Due to the anxiety that I have been feeling during the last few months I have felt a lot of pain in my body. The drops dripping towards the red down from the top signify the numerous sensations I was feeling as a result of my anxiety such as headaches, losing my voice, chest pains, etc. The eyes that I have drawn could resemble my four family members watching over me and protecting me from the pain that I have been feeling. I can see the powerfulness of the red paint the the drips from Emin’s work.

Figure 2: Shoshie Greenbaum: Drips of Pain (2020).

This exhibition appealed to me greatly as I have felt in a state of loneliness for the last few months. I have been experiencing depression alongside having an anxiety disorder since I was a teenager. Due to COVID-19, I have had to self isolate twice for 14 days each within two months. The strain of this isolation pushed my mind into a state of loneliness and lowness. I have been researching other artists that have made art during isolation or art that speaks of loneliness.

Figure 3: Edvard Munch: Self-Portrait with the Spanish Flu (1919).

Edvard Munch was an artist that isolated himself due to his mental state and anxiety. He painted a self portrait of himself with the Spanish Flu in 1919. Figure 2 is said portrait. He painted this one, along with several other self-portraits as he recovered from the illness. Interestingly, he is known for being unstable and quite sad, however he managed to show strength and resilience by fighting off this flu which many others died from whilst also going through a lot of mental health issues. Perhaps his artwork was a way of helping him mentally and as a result, physically.

Other artists such as Gülsün Karamustafa created art whilst imprisoned. “She was incarcerated in Turkey for aiding and abetting political activists after the military coup of 1971″ (Tate, 2020). Karamustafa composed a series of ‘Prison Paintings’ that depict intimate and private moments in the lives of the prisoners that she was locked up with and reflected personal observations of daily life in prison. She painted these from memory after being released.

Figure 4: Gülsün Karamustafa: Prison Painting 11, 1972.

‘I made them in order to remember, in order to be able to keep [what happened] in mind.’ Gülsün Karamustafa (Tate, 2020).

Each painting in this series convey very intimate situations and moments in the prisoners’ lives. They are all from the viewpoint of Karamustafa. There are compositions such as prisoners sleeping, cooking and being reunited with family. These paintings are a response to the political repression in Turkey at the time of 1970s. “Karamustafa’s practice is concerned with details that reflect the position of women in society alongside the social changes that took place in Turkey during the second half of the twentieth century, which saw waves of migration from the countryside to urban centres” (Oikonomopoulos, 2018). Prison Paintings depicts the daily treatment and everyday lives of women prisoners in a patriarchal society, where women at the time were shown little respect and worth.

These artists and many more created art in times of isolation. What these artists have taught me is to continue using art as a form of expression. People should never be afraid to express their mind and body and that making art can be a productive way to do this. Whilst producing art is therapeutic, it can also be interpreted afterwards and discussions can happen that you didn’t think you could before. In conclusion, even during times of imprisonment, isolation and a global pandemic, great artwork can be produced.

References/Bibliography:

Adams, T., 2020. Tracey Emin/Edvard Munch: The Loneliness Of The Soul Review – A Meeting Of Primal Screamers. [online] The Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/dec/06/tracey-emin-edvard-munch-the-loneliness-of-the-soul-royal-academy-london-review> [Accessed 22 December 2020].

Greenoak, T., 2020. Inside The Exhibition: ‘Tracey Emin / Edvard Munch: The Loneliness Of The Soul’ | Blog | Royal Academy Of Arts. [online] Royalacademy.org.uk. Available at: <https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/article/virtual-inside-exhibition-tracey-emin-edvard-munch#comments> [Accessed 22 December 2020].

Januszczak, W., 2020. Sad Souls In A Happy Encounter. [online] Thetimes.co.uk. Available at: <https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sad-souls-in-a-happy-encounter-x3vmqpjdf> [Accessed 22 December 2020].

Oikonomopoulos, V., 2018. ‘Prison Paintings 16’, Gulsun Karamustafa, 1972 | Tate. [online] Tate. Available at: <https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/karamustafa-prison-paintings-16-t15195> [Accessed 22 December 2020].

Searle, A., 2020. Tracey Emin/Edvard Munch: The Loneliness Of The Soul Review – Moments Of Horror. [online] The Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/dec/03/tracey-emin-edvard-munch-the-loneliness-of-the-soul-review-royal-academy-london> [Accessed 22 December 2020].

Tate. 2020. Making Art In Isolation – Talking Point | Tate. [online] Available at: <https://www.tate.org.uk/art/talking-point/making-art-isolation> [Accessed 22 December 2020].

[shoshiegherts]

Art Therapy in Schools

Reflecting on my placement this year at a Primary School, I decided I would like to research about an Art Therapist’s place in a school setting. I am a teacher in a SEN primary school in Brent and we are in constant contact with the therapy team to incorporate the childrens’ OT (Occupational Therapy) and SLT (Speech & Language) targets into our lessons so that the children can access their learning whilst also developing their weaker skills. I discovered this paper: ‘Art Therapy in Schools: The Therapist’s Perspective’ written by Regev, Green-Orlovich and Snir. I have read two of their other papers on the matter of silence in Art Therapy sessions which I will write a blog post about soon.

‘Art Therapy in Schools’ discusses not only the impact that Art Therapy has on people at school age, but also the advantages and disadvantages of it being incorporated into the school system. This paper was written in Israel and therefore is based on the Israeli school system. Schools hiring Art Therapists has become increasingly popular as schools are seeing the advantages of art therapy for children that attend that school. Some of the advantages discussed in the paper are that unlike external therapists, the art therapist has access to teachers, parents and other therapists within the school. “Studies have found that art therapy in the school framework helps pupils resolve emotional problems” (Gersch & Goncalves, 2006) “and can assist children at risk and children with learning disabilities to adapt to the school system” (Freilich & Shechtman, 2010; Spier 2010). A definite advantage is that the Art Therapist can have constant communication with the child’s parents, school teachers and other therapists to ensure that all targets and aims are being met. In my placement, the teacher was required to fill in a CQR for the child that would be a client of mine and I had to set targets for the child e.g. for the child to use art to emotionally regulate, the child to be able to express themselves sufficiently.

As positive as the advantages sound, there are some disadvantages of having art therapy integrated into the school system. This would be if there was any tension between the therapy team and then communication wouldn’t be as fluid between the staff to discuss important matters on the client. Another reasons is that the art therapy sessions reduce the classroom time and therefore the child might have to miss crucial lessons in order to have art therapy sessions. I have experienced in my art therapy sessions that it is crucial to have a safe space where other staff members and children cannot intrude or disturb the therapist and client. This can be quite difficult to do in a smaller school where there are no designated therapy rooms. I am lucky that in the school where I am placed at, there is a dedicated art therapy room for me. However, it’s a very clinical room and the art supplies are hidden in a cupboard. It has the atmosphere of an office, however I plan to make it more atmospheric by adding a ‘how are you feeling?’ display and perhaps some other inspirational quotes around the room.

The findings of these interviews show that all of the art therapists interviewed thought that working in conjuncture with the school and the staffing body within it was advantageous when it comes to working with a child/client. The therapist can feel less alone as they are surrounded by a team of other staff who perhaps know the child and have consistent daily contact with them. They can then be there to help if the therapist needs to know a missing piece of information, elements of their behaviour plan, and can give the therapist advice on the child. Having art therapy in school is also beneficial to the child as they can learn to transition from lesson to therapy whilst feeling relaxed, feel safer at school and take what they have reflected on from their therapy sessions and apply what they have learnt to their lives immediately. Other advantages that are mentioned are that therapists “can get to know their clients better” (Regev, Green-Orlovich and Snir, 2015) and become more familiar with their routine/behaviour.

The paper goes on to list more difficulties than advantages. These include issues with the therapy room and its privacy, limitations of art materials provided, the school calendar conflict between staff and the unpaid extra work outside the school day. These are all difficulties listed by most of the art therapists interviewed. As mentioned before, designating a room in a school for art therapy can be difficult due to the size of the school and also due to pupils and other staff knocking on the door and possibly interrupting a session. Whilst this may be done unintentionally, this is not what art therapists working in a private sector are used to. Perhaps training other staff members during an inset would be a solution to the problem as it solves 2 issues at hand - one being staff knowing not to disturb a therapy session and two, having staff trained to the basics of art therapy and being able to spot if a child would benefit from art therapy. Before I started my sessions with clients, I checked in the art supplies cupboard to see what other supplies I could ask the school for so that the children could benefit more from better art materials. A lot of schools have the issue of funding art therapy materials for clients to use. Some schools let the therapists take art supplies from the art rooms however some art therapists must buy the materials from their own money. This can be extremely expensive as art supplies cost a lot of money. More schools need to include art therapy art materials into their budgeting as if they’re invested in helping their students by referring them to art therapy, the students need these art materials to help them communicate and express how they are feeling to the full extent they can. The school calendar is listed as a difficulty to some therapists. However, in my weekly therapy with my art therapist, her holidays usually coincide with the school calendar. Working in a school as a teacher and being placed in a school as an art therapist gives me the advantage that all my term dates correspond with each other. This paper states that having art therapy sessions during the school calendar can be inconsistent, however I beg to differ. I would think that the children being in school and knowing when they’re in school and on holiday alongside having art therapy sessions internally would be more comforting as they know when they are at school, they’ll have sessions, and when it’s school holiday they will not. Some private art therapists will take annual leave outside of school holiday dates therefore arguably making external art therapy sessions more inconsistent than school sessions as having 2 calendars for a child can be confusing and conflicting for them.

Whilst there are these disadvantages, I feel as if there are resolutions for each of these problems such as the school providing a therapy room for therapy, the art therapist running a training for the staff about art therapy, asking the school to provide more art materials and giving the student/client a visual calendar of sessions for the year for them to take home or keep at school.

My two younger siblings are diagnosed with ASD. My younger brother was diagnosed very young in 1999 and there was not any kind of therapy available at his primary school and therefore my parents took him to therapy externally. This meant that they have to take me with them or find childcare which some parents would find extremely difficult to do financially or logistically. My sister’s primary school specialised in SEN and could provide her with OT and SLT. This was integrated into her timetable with 1:1 sessions and class sessions for life skills learning. Her experience of this therapy integration made it seem more “normal” that these were her lessons and that she had private sessions building her OT and language skills.

Overall, I feel strongly that Art Therapists should be more integrated in schools and should come to an agreement with the school and leadership team of the boundaries of sessions with children and how they could enrich the children’s opportunity to help themselves with this incredible expressive art therapy experience.

Bibliography/References:

Freilich, R., & Shechtman, Z. (2010). The contribution of art therapy to the social, emotional, and academic adjustment of children with learning disabilities. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 37, 97-105.

Gersch, I., & Goncalves, S. S. J. (2006). Creative arts therapies and educational psychology: Let’s get together. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 11(1), 22-32.

Sunderland, M., 2015. Conversations That Matter: Talking With Children And Teenagers In Ways That Help. 1st ed. Great Britain: TJ International Ltd.

Regev, D., Green-Orlovich, A. and Snir, S., 2015. Art therapy in schools – The therapist's perspective. The Arts in Psychotherapy, [online] 45, pp.47-55. Available at: <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282289568_Art_Therapy_in_Schools-The_Therapist's_Perspective> [Accessed 27 December 2020].

[shoshiegherts]

Using Art Therapy with children with SEN

“Art can be a buffer between therapist and children who struggle with social interaction” (Martin, 2009b).

My job for the last few years has been working in a Primary SEN School in London as a Teaching Assistant and then I became a teacher. I’ve always been involved with the SEN world my two siblings both are on the Autistic Spectrum. My brother was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome at the age of 2, and my sister with ASD, ADD and Learning Difficulties also at the age of 2. I have been working with people with SEN since the age of 14, giving me 10 years of experience learning about Autism and other difficulties such as ADHD, Fragile X and others. Working at the current school I am in, I was inspired by the students and an additional foundation course of Art Therapies and Wellbeing at University of Hertfordshire and decided to apply for the Art Therapy MA. I have always enjoyed working with SEN children and I plan to continue this when I graduate in 2024.

The area of Art Therapy in SEN environments fascinates me. I have used art in my lessons when teaching learning material as it engages the children and enables them to learn different art skills that they can incorporate into their daily lives such as fine motor skills, OT skills, etc. Reading ‘Sensory Based Relational Art Therapy Approach (S-BRATA): A Framework for Art Therapy With Children With ASD’ showed me different approach to making Art with Children with SEN. Huma Durrani’s article explores the use of Art Therapy with children with SEN using S-BRATA, the development of a relationship between the Art Therapist and the child and how engaged the children were by making art.

This paper discusses 3 participants that are all children aged 5 (Teo), 7(Raj) and 7 (Alex). Additionally, they all have a diagnosis of “ASD, presence of significant SID and no prior art therapy” (Durrani, 2020). Interestingly, all of the participants involved in this study are male. This does not surprise me as when Autism was first researched, Hans Asperger completed his research using boys as case studies (A Timeline of the History of Autism Spectrum Disorder, 2014). Hans Aspergers was the second researcher of a milder form of Autism called Aspergers - which is no longer diagnosed. Simon Baron Cohen writes that Asperger’s research was not widely cited or used until 40 years after his paper was written.

Durrani conducts 12 sessions per child and explores their senses of safety, sensory profile and attachment whilst also looking at which art materials each child is drawn to and what boundaries/structures to put in place. Because of some childrens’ limitations of verbal language, sensory needs and other factors; each session played out differently.

Durrani noted that “Alex became excitable using paints and smeared it over his body” (Durrani, 2020). Alex’s sensory overload using paint was then redirected to sand play and clay in order to use the same energy that was more functional. Due to his sensory overloads, breaks were introduced into his art therapy sessions in order to emotionally regulate.

Figure 1: Alex: Modelling Clay and Accessories.

Raj, on the other hand, was more severely Autistic and needed more attention to his sensory needs. Due to the anxiety of something new and perhaps something he’s trying to communicate, he demonstrated disruptive behaviours and restrictive and repetitive behaviour (RRB). Durrani talks about her difficulty with her own anxiety in her sessions with Raj as she struggles to get him to interact with art making and helping him self-regulate sufficiently. “Though there were periods where Raj and I engaged in joint art making, his motivation to work with art materials seemed to wane as sessions progressed” (Durrani, 2020). I see this with the children at my school. In my lessons, I’ll usually conduct a rotational plan where I would have 2 children at my front table at a time so as to focus on specific learning goals they have and their sensory needs to enable them to learn efficiently. There will be some lessons where children interact with the sensory art making and learning greatly, and others where they are distracted or unfocused. Because of their diagnosis, people on the Autistic Spectrum are more likely to be more honest and show you exactly how they feel whether that’s through speech or behaviour. Trying to engage a child with ASD in an activity they are not interested in can be a great challenge. When Raj seemed disconnected with art making, she turned to more kinaesthetic activities such as foam, sand, glue etc. Durrani goes on to suspect that there was a lot of transference and countertransference with both of their anxieties perhaps rubbing off on each other, and therefore not being able to feel safe or be creative.

Figure 2: Raj: Paint, Sand and Glue.

Durrani only briefly mentions Teo’s sessions saying that she found it difficult to engage him in the art at first but after watching her make art, he became more interested and indulged himself in the art making - mostly using sensory based art materials such as foam.

Figure 3: Teo: Foam and Paint on Mirror.

Overall, Durrani found that working in a “conceptual way to address sensory and attachment dysfunctions” with children with special educational needs was advantageous. We see that working with children who don’t have a diagnosis using art therapy can be extremely beneficial, teaching them that sometimes words cannot express how they feel and that making art can enable children to show how they feel and emotionally regulate in a productive way. They are able to perhaps articulate why they are feeling this way and how to help themselves feel better. Children with ASD might find this challenging. I imagine art therapy is more of a tool to help them communicate how they are feeling if perhaps they do not have the language. It can also be used to emotionally regulate as making art is very therapeutic. Building a trust with an adult takes time, especially those with attachment dysfunctions due to Autism. Through regular art therapy sessions, children with ASD could develop communication skills, artistic skills, sensory and emotional regulation through art materials, etc.

References/Bibliography:

Baron Cohen, S., 2015. Leo Kanner, Hans Asperger, and the discovery of autism. The Lancet, [online] 386(10001), pp.1329-1320. Available at: <https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0140-6736%2815%2900337-2> [Accessed 3 December 2020].

Durrani, H., 2020. Sensory-Based Relational Art Therapy Approach (S-BRATA): A Framework for Art Therapy With Children With ASD. Art Therapy, pp.1-9.

Evans, K. and Dubowski, J., 2001. Art Therapy With Children On The Autistic Spectrum. 1st ed. London: Jessica Kingsley Pub.

Martin, N. (2009b). Art therapy and autism: Overview and recommendations. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 26(4), 187–190. doi:10.1080/ 07421656.2009.10129616

Parents. 2014. A Timeline Of The History Of Autism Spectrum Disorder. [online] Available at: <https://www.parents.com/health/autism/the-history-of-autism/> [Accessed 6 December 2020].

Schofield, A., 2020. How Art Therapy Can Help Children With SEN - Absolutely Education UK. [online] Absolutely Education UK. Available at: <https://absolutely-education.co.uk/art-therapy/> [Accessed 6 December 2020].

[shoshiegherts]

Face masks and their implications on Art Therapy in schools

My Placement for the first year of my MA is placed with Schools Counselling Partnership. Within this organisation, I’ve been placed at a primary school in the Borough of Ealing. The aim of this service is to use a holistic approach to working with young children, their families and also the staff in the schools they are involved.

The induction was split over 2 days. The first day dealt with meeting with the supervising Art Therapist and learning about the school, the staff and the safeguarding policies in place. The following week, I was able to observe the children that would be attending 1:1 Art Therapy with myself in class. This enabled me to see their interaction with others in a classroom setting, observe their psychological development and executive function skills; but also to have a glimpse at who they are before meeting them.

We are now living during the global pandemic of COVID 19. This complicates my interaction with the 2 students that I will be seeing for Art Therapy sessions. The new rules are that I will have to wear a face covering during all sessions and try to sit 2 meters apart from the child. When my supervisor at the school told me this information, it made me feel heartbroken for the students. Working as an Art Therapist trainee during these circumstances is difficult as communication, facial recognition/contact and closeness play a big role in a therapy setting.

Thinking about this, I’ve been reading articles regarding face coverings within the school setting and how this could impact a child’s ability to learn and connect to their teachers/therapists. In the UK, class teachers are not permitted to wear a face covering in class unless they are walking in the corridors and mixing bubbles. TA’s, Senior Leadership Teams and Therapists in a school must wear a face covering at all times except being alone in a room and eating. Working with children wearing a face covering can impact the child’s ability to read facial emotions, expressions and cues. ‘The face provides a universal language for communication’ (Spitzer, 2020). Children in their first year usually develop the skill of facial recognition/expression and the emotion connected to that certain face. Wearing a mask covers half of the face, decreasing the chance of a child being able to read a face. ‘Smiling broadens cognition and thereby increases creative thinking’ (Spitzer, 2020). The nose and mouth area play into facial expressions immensely. A smile, for example, is a positive sign displayed by the mouth. When covering this, the eyes scrunching could insinuate other emotions such as glaring and concentration which could be anxiety provoking for those around.

Whilst this is a problem within mainstream schools, special needs children in schools also face the this issue - however, they are less likely to have the ability to recognise facial expressions before the face mask is worn. ‘Several studies of face processing in individuals with ASD suggest that they focus on the lower half of the face, particularly the mouth, in a variety of social or emotional contexts’ (Grossman and Tager-Flusberg, 2008). Adults and children without ASD would typically focus their gaze on the upper half of the face when not speaking, however when speech is added, they will then focus their gaze on the mouth. This happens without the other even noticing. People with ASD will veer their gaze down to the mouth throughout their life. This is most likely due to the social and communication disorder at hand, in order to understand what is being said, they need to focus on what language the other person is using. Arguably also, the lower half of the face is much more expressive than the top half. The upper and lower half of the face work together when expressing one’s emotions, however an individual with ASD find will find facial expression recognition hard and additionally, when the face mask is added then the chances of them being able to understand a face becomes much more difficult.

When I am running an Art Therapy session for a child in my school, these are issues that I will face. I am able to wear a visor, however there is still the aspect of it being a somewhat barrier between me and my client. There could be emotional complications from this, but what I need to think about is if it is better to wear something see through over my face but be a physical barrier between the two of us, or whether a face mask would work better in terms of having better eye contact.

The second time I visited the school, I was doing observations of the children that will be doing Art Therapy with me in their classes. I didn’t own a visor yet and so I wore a grey face mask. Both children interestingly sometimes avoided eye contact with me, and even if they did make eye contact - it wasn’t a smile. I have since bought a visor as I have decided that it is important to have face to face contact with children, especially in therapy. However, this visor might become a topic of discussion during an Art Therapy session; how wearing a visor makes the child feel, do they feel safer if I wear a visor, why I am wearing a face covering etc.

References:

Katz, R. and Hadani, H., 2020. Are You Happy Or Sad? How Wearing Face Masks Can Impact Children’S Ability To Read Emotions. [online] Brookings. Available at: <https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2020/04/21/are-you-happy-or-sad-how-wearing-face-masks-can-impact-childrens-ability-to-read-emotions/> [Accessed 15 November 2020].

Spitzer, M., 2020. Masked Education? The Benefits And Burdens Of Wearing Face Masks In Schools During The Current Corona Pandemic. [online] PMC. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7417296/> [Accessed 15 November 2020].

Grossman, R. and Tager-Flusberg, H., 2008. Reading faces for information about words and emotions in adolescents with autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, [online] 2(4), pp.681-695. Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2756601/> [Accessed 15 November 2020].