The Field of Work of the School Art Therapist and Its Unique Potential for the School’s Support Team

Abstract

Qualitative research was carried out to examine the first experiences of the implementation of art therapy in Estonian schools. The aim was to ascertain the facets of the activities of the school art therapists and the potential of art therapy in the work of a school’s support team. Within the framework of the research, art therapists and management staff from four general education schools were interviewed. The work foci and specifics of the art therapist’s work were described on this basis, and the potential of school art therapy in reaching educational goals was highlighted. The interviewees characterised the work of a school art therapist in terms of the artistic and creative nature of art therapy, the co-operation-based supportive therapeutic relationship; the variability of the forms of work; and the mitigating, relaxing, and school-adaptation-supporting effect of art therapy. Management staff indicated that the art therapist enriches the work of the school’s support system, as creativity-based methods make the strengths and development potential of students more visible, it is possible to choose from among various specialists to help children, and art therapy can be applied as a primary preventive intervention. Keywords: school art therapy, artistic expression, art therapeutic relationship, content of school art therapy.

The Meaning of a Group Facilitation Training to Creative Arts Therapists Working in the Public Education System

“…The research participants felt that artistic media plays a significant role in their groups; some explained that the arts offered a non-verbal channel of communication. As the literature describes [ 4 , 5 , 6 ], the use of the arts helps children process emotional content and proactively explore their inner worlds. This outcome, despite the short periods of time provided for each session, supports other research findings on the contribution of the arts to group activities in school settings [ 19 , 20 , 30 , 31 , 32 ].…”

“…Group therapy offers children various advantages: developing self-awareness through an ongoing, facilitated dialogue with their peers, having a safe space to meet their social challenges with more adaptive methods [ 1 , 2 ], and acquiring new social skills with the ongoing influence of their groupmates’ communications and behavior [ 3 ]. Numerous studies have shown that children use the arts more naturally to express their inner worlds and the complexities of life [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Therefore, the theory suggests that children use arts-based interventions naturally to share personal topics and inner conflicts they face during their everyday lives [ 2 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ].…”

“…Close to 10 thousand health professionals, including 3600 creative arts therapists, work in the Israeli school system. They see clients in their natural environment and collaborate with the multi-professional school staff [ 6 , 22 ]. Due to budgetary limitations and the wish to provide services to as many students as possible [ 21 , 23 ], creative arts therapists are expected to provide group therapy.…”