Development of a Curriculum of Basic Competences for Art Therapy With Older People

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to develop a competence-based curriculum for art therapy with older people. Following a literature research and a structured review of art therapy curricula from Germany and Europe, a competence-based catalog of basic learning objectives was compiled by an interdisciplinary steering group. This was subsequently evaluated by an interdisciplinary expert group by means of a modified Delphi process using SurveyMonkey. 2 Delphi rounds were required to achieve a consensus and 29 experts participated in the whole process. The result is a curriculum comprising 6 domains and 62 learning objectives. The curriculum is based on the German context, but may be a helpful model for therapists and educators in other countries.

Keywords:

• Competences
• curriculum
• art therapy
• geriatrics
• modified Delphi process

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Lynn Kapitan for her invaluable support to make this manuscript suitable for an international audience. Furthermore, we thank all participating experts: K. Banschbach, S. K. Buchka, Prof. S. Connert, K. Eschhold, K. Frey, M. Ganß, M. Gebhardt, R. Gienger, S. Gneist, F. Grießmann, J. Gunkel, Prof. Dr. med. H. J. Heppner, A. Hett, C. Jäger-Rach, U. Knebel, Hon.-.Prof. Dr. med. D. Lüttje, H. B. Lutzeyer, M. Meixner, Prof. J. Melches, F. Plöger, F. Preißer, I. Rettenmeier, Prof. Dr. rer. nat. habil. M. Schipper, K. D. Spangenberg, E. Staab, F. Strub, T. Traut, and S. Wanner.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the STAEDTLER-Foundation Nuremberg.

Notes on contributors

Johanna Masuch

Johanna Masuch, Leonie Antwerpen, Sibylle Brons, and Katrin Singler are with the Department of Geriatric Medicine, Klinikum Nuremberg, Paracelsus Private Medical University, Nuremberg, Germany.

Leonie Antwerpen

Johanna Masuch, Leonie Antwerpen, Sibylle Brons, and Katrin Singler are with the Department of Geriatric Medicine, Klinikum Nuremberg, Paracelsus Private Medical University, Nuremberg, Germany.

Sibylle Brons

Johanna Masuch, Leonie Antwerpen, Sibylle Brons, and Katrin Singler are with the Department of Geriatric Medicine, Klinikum Nuremberg, Paracelsus Private Medical University, Nuremberg, Germany.

Harald Gruber

Harald Gruber is Program Director, Art Therapy, Master’s Degree in Art Therapy, Dean, Head of Institute for Art Therapy, Professorship for Art Therapy/Research, in Alfter, Germany.

Christian Hamberger

Christian Hamberger is Managing Director, German Association for Art Therapy (DFKGT), Berlin, Germany.

Kathrin Seifert

Kathrin Seifert is with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Ottersberg, and University Hospital Bonn Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bonn, Germany.

Regina Roller-Wirnsberger

Regina Roller-Wirnsberger is with the Medical University of Graz, Department of Internal Medicine, Research Unit for Aging and Life Long Health, Graz, Austria.

Katrin Singler

Johanna Masuch, Leonie Antwerpen, Sibylle Brons, and Katrin Singler are with the Department of Geriatric Medicine, Klinikum Nuremberg, Paracelsus Private Medical University, Nuremberg, Germany.