What are the benefits of hiring an art therapist?
‘Art Psychotherapist’ is a legally protected title. Anyone practicing ‘Art Therapy’ or ‘Art Psychotherapy’ must have undergone professional training at Masters level and have registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC). All registered therapists are listed on the HCPC register here.
The HCPC produced a campaign in 2016, Why Hire Arts Therapists? (WHAT?), promoting Art Therapy as a regulated profession and to raise awareness of its benefits.
National Health Executive
WHY HIRE ARTS THERAPISTS? Part 1: How statutory regulation of Arts Therapists protects service users
Why use an arts therapist?
1. They have to meet national standards
Arts therapists are statutory regulated and are fully accountable to the HCPC, whose primary remit is public protection. Their right to practice is linked to continuing registration and compliance with HCPC standards for professional skills and behaviour as well as additional obligations, such as undertaking continuing professional development (CPD). This ensures continued learning and development throughout their careers, keeping skills and knowledge up-to-date, and ensuring they are able to work safely, legally and effectively.
2. They can provide cost-effective psychotherapeutic interventions
Bruce Howard Bayley, external liaison officer for the BADth, said: “Working with clients creatively and psychologically attempts to secure an emotional wellbeing that is core to the potential impact of other health and social care interventions. This is why arts therapists are recognised for providing more cost-effective psychotherapeutic interventions.”
3. They can transform the lives and wellbeing of service users
The benefits to service users can extend well beyond therapy sessions, according to Val Huet, chief executive officer of the BAAT: “Arts therapists are skilled at engaging hard-to-reach service users of all ages, regardless of their conditions. Outcomes can include improved social and communication skills, as well as increased confidence and self-esteem, enabling them to play a more integrated role in society.”
Read more here
WHY HIRE ARTS THERAPISTS? Part 2: Case studies
Real-life stories from service users help to promote the statutory regulation of arts therapists.
Louis’s story
“Seven-year-old Louis is a young carer for his mother. He had been suffering from nightmares following a serious accident. Whilst he was smart and energetic, Louis exhibited high levels of anxiety, demonstrated by obsessive behaviour, sleeplessness and increased worry about everyday activities.
“During his first art psychotherapy session he created an intensely colourful painting, dramatically covered by black paint. He stuck a tiny fish sticker at its centre. I was struck by the daunting black dominating the painting – amongst it all a surviving fish, struggling in the midst of darkness.
“As time went on, Louis shared snippets of his nightmares, which seemed to reflect gripping feelings of responsibility, guilt and helplessness.
“After 10 weeks, Louis said his nightmares had stopped. He could sleep more easily and felt less worried about the trials and tribulations of everyday life. He was content making his creations on his own; reinforcing a peace with himself which had previously been hard to reach.”
Rachel’s story
“Sixteen-year-old Rachel has profound learning disabilities and complex healthcare needs. She was referred for music therapy in the hope that sessions could provide her with an outlet for self-expression and an opportunity to interact and communicate non-verbally.
“From the beginning of my work with Rachel, I used her breathing to set the tempo of my music. She realised this quickly, and soon showed how much she enjoyed the control and empowerment she experienced in her sessions. Rachel often vocalised with me, and the more she used her voice, the more confident she appeared to become.
“Music therapy allows Rachel to experience the freedom to express herself. It impacts her interaction as people realise how cognitively aware she is, and how much she is able to interact when given the appropriate medium to do so. Rachel’s support worker has said that seeing Rachel in her sessions has allowed him to see a new side of her that he did not know existed.”
Jyoti’s story
“Admitted as an inpatient at least once a year for over three months at a time, 74-year-old Jyoti had a history of schizophrenia. She was referred to Dramatherapy to support her transition in moving to a residential home.
“The Dramatherapy space was where Jyoti began to express her fears and losses. She was finding it increasingly difficult to feel heard in her new home, so we used the sessions to think about her relationship with the staff and environment. She would often use people in the sand tray to try out new discussions and ways in which she could communicate her needs.
“She would often portray herself as a superhero figure – the opposite of how she actually felt, but her way of attempting to find a stronger voice. We would role play conversations, and explore what Jyoti wanted in this new chapter of her life.
“Jyoti finished the Dramatherapy sessions confident and settled in her new home, participating in new activities and creating new relationships. She has not had another inpatient admission in over two and a half years.”
Read more here