Navigating the complexity of the therapeutic and clinical use of photography in psychosocial settings: a review of the literature

Abstract

In contrast with the recent increase in the use of photography as a therapeutic tool in psychological settings, lack of clarity exists regarding this intervention modality. While the distinction among Photo Therapy, Therapeutic Photography, and Photo Art Therapy is theoretically established we examined whether this classification is confirmed also in practice. Electronic databases (PsychINFO, PubMed, MEDLINE, and Social Sciences Abstracts-EBSCO) were systematically searched for studies published in the last fifteen years utilizing photographic techniques as the elective method of intervention. A total of 124 articles were identified, of which 21 met the inclusion criteria. Results indicate that photography has been used in health, clinical, social, and community settings. Photovoice, Photographic Self-Portrait, and Photo Presentation are the methods most commonly implemented. Several contributions could be placed in more than one of the above-mentioned models of intervention; suggesting that the criteria to assign articles to each model are difficult to apply when the models are put into practice.

Evaluating the Framed Portrait Experience as an Intervention to Enhance Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem in a Sample of Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors: Results of a Pilot Study

“…Survivors in the comparison group were offered supportive care services available at the cancer center (i.e., clinical psychologist trained in psycho-oncology, supportive groups). Individuals were eligible to participate in the study according to the following inclusion criteria: being diagnosed with leukemia in their teenage years (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19), and having received treatment (chemotherapy) at the participating institution, a pediatric cancer center in Northern Italy. The protocol was approved by the institutional review board of the participating institution and written informed consent was obtained from the participants.…”

“…The decision to utilize photography as a medium to facilitate the elicitation of the individual's life experience when coping with cancer as an adolescent or young adult is motivated by existing studies that have shown support for the use of pictures in clinical settings. 12 Previous studies in the context of oncology indicate that the self-portrait can facilitate the elaboration of the illness experience. In the study conducted by Frith and Harcourt, 13 self-portraits realized when receiving chemotherapy, then reviewed and discussed at the end of active treatment, strengthened the ability to cope with cancer and promote a positive self-representation.…”

The Collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa on 14 August 2018: A Collective Traumatic Event and Its Emotional Impact Linked to the Place and Loss of a Symbol

“…The photovoice technique was developed in the early 1990s by Caroline Wang et al [16]. Since its inception, photovoice has gained popularity and has been applied to different disciplines, such as psychology [17][18][19][20], education [21][22][23][24], and nursing [25,26], and to study particular issues such as those related to parenting, refugees, intercultural relations, and other marginalized groups [27][28][29].…”

“…Additionally, images play on and arouse emotions; in fact, pictures offer real representations of an existing situation in a way that verbal language sometimes cannot capture. Therefore, photos can be used as an instrument to explore the life experiences of participants, or they become a medium through which participants share thoughts and emotions without the limitation of verbal language [20,39].…”

Studi Eksperimen Aktivitas Fotografi untuk Menurunkan Tingkat Kecemasan dan Stres

“…Istilah yang digunakan pertama kali adalah photo therapy (Stewart, 1979), namun istilah ini sekarang telah digunakan untuk terapi medis menggunakan cahaya/sinar (Ablon, 2018). Ada banyak terminologi serupa yang menggambarkan penerapan fotografi sebagai media terapi, alat bantu therapeutic, maupun bagian dari terapi berbasis seni (art therapy) (Saita & Tramontano, 2018). Salah satu istilah lain yang juga umum dipakai adalah photovoice (Liebenberg, 2018 (Gibson, 2017;Weiser, 2004Weiser, , 2014…”