Bringing Art Therapy into Museums

Art therapy-based groups for work-related stress with staff in health and social care: An exploratory study

“…However, providing good quality art books might enable the start of a joint attention process with the art therapist, support relational processes and facilitate engagement in the therapy. Furthermore, art therapy practice within museums and galleries is growing within the UK (Hutchinson, 2012;Shaer et al, 2008) and internationally (Betts et al, 2015;Linesch, 2004;Treadon, 2016) and some art therapists, no longer fearing the label of "art educator" (Alter Muri, 1996) are now providing art therapy sessions within these settings. This may enhance client engagement and open the door to personal involvement with art galleries and museums as wellbeing resources (Camic & Chatterjee;.…”

‘A space that worked for them’: museum-based art psychotherapy, power dynamics, social inclusion and autonomy

“…Innovative art psychotherapy programmes have been developed with museums and galleries both in the UK and internationally over the last few decades (e.g. Baddeley et al, 2017;Bennington et al, 2016;Colbert et al, 2013;Coles & Harrison, 2018;Coles & Jury, 2020;Pantagoutsou et al, 2017;Salom, 2011Salom, , 2013Treadon, 2015) and with a range of client groups.…”

“…Recent studies have provided qualitative and quantitative data suggesting that museum settings can be therapeutic environments (Bennington et al, 2016;Colbert et al, 2013;Coles & Harrison, 2018;Hackett et al, 2020;Legari et al, 2020;Pantagoutsou et al, 2017;Thaler et al, 2017;Treadon, 2015). Froggett and Trustram (2014) relate this to Winnicott's (1971) idea of 'potential space' and this is supported by Salom, who discusses how 'visitors' inner frameworks interact with external reality to process events, create relationships, identify subjective experience and conjure intimate meaning' (Salom, 2013, p. 4).…”

“…Service users and healthcare professionals have referred to the way in which a museum environment can emphasise social bonds and inclusion (All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing, 2017; Bennington et al, 2016;Coles & Harrison, 2018;Salom, 2013;Stiles & Mermer-Welly, 1998;Treadon, 2015). Ioannides (2017) identifies that 'the openness and inclusivity of the museum environment are central to the therapeutic role of these institutions' (p. 104).…”