Family Art Therapy: Towards possible applications of an underestimated form of art therapy

Abstract

The main purpose of the article is to present various ways of conducting art therapy with families, which is often referred to as Family Art Therapy. In the first part, the author explains the sources and unique features of this form of work, before proceeding to characterize therapeutic interventions described in the literature on the subject. Although they are not numerous, they present a wide range of possibilities for the use of Family Art Therapy. The author, therefore, proposes a division into three main groups of problems: (1) the functioning of the family is disturbed as a result of the health condition of one of its members; most often it is a child who is experiencing severe mental disorders, e.g. schizophrenia, mood disorders, depression, suicide attempts, etc. or ADHD, ASD and neurodevelopmental disorders; (2) the functioning of the family is disturbed as a result of external conditions: a crisis situation, or domestic violence; (3) disturbances in the relationship between the parent(s) and the child. These various family problems require different techniques and exercises, which has been highlighted in the characteristics of the different ways of working with families. The article is also complemented by short descriptions of art-therapy works prepared by art therapy students, the starting point for which was the use of a diagnostic and therapeutic genogram technique for creative, artistic work and self-reflection on one’s own family. The article ends with the significant words of the precursor of Family Art Therapy, Hanna Kwiatkowska showing the value of this form of work not only for its participants but also for art therapists.