Therapist and client experiences of art therapy in relation to psychosis: a thematic analysis

Figures & data

Sparks. Mixed media on paper. “When I was a kid I used to love collecting flint stone. […] And the reason I loved collecting it was because you can hit them together and you can see that little spark […] it must’ve travelled with me throughout my life, without me even realising it. Because that picture that I just showed you, basically, it represents that act”. (John)¹

Table 1. Participant information.

Pseudonym	Gender	Age ranges in years^a	Ethnicity	Art therapist or service user	Time receiving art therapy (not continuously) / providing art therapy	Context of art therapy
John	Male	41-50	Mixed race	Service user	29 years	Group but has also had individual in the past in inpatient and community settings
Harry	Male	41-50	White British	Service user	7 years	Group and individual in community setting
Grace	Female	51-60	Black British	Service user	18 years	Individual and group in community setting
David	Male	51-60	White British	Service user	20 + years	Group in community setting
Jade	Female	61-70	Mixed race	Service user	4 years	Group but has also had individual in community setting
Pauline	Female	61-70	White British	Service user	1 year	Group in community setting
Alec	Male	31-40	White European	Art therapist	8 years	Open ward groups in inpatient setting
Laura	Female	31-40	White British	Art therapist	7 years	Open ward groups and individual inpatient and community
Katie	Female	31-40	White British	Art therapist	17 years	Group and individual in community setting
Becky	Female	41-50	White British	Art therapist	12 years	Group and individual in community setting
Rachel	Female	51-60	White British	Art therapist	15 years	Group and individual in inpatient and community setting
Sarah	Female	51-60	White British	Art therapist	26 years	Open ward groups and individual in inpatient setting

^a Age ranges have been used to protect the identity of the participants.

Table 2. Themes and sub themes.

Main themes	Sub themes
Safe space	Containment Supportive art therapist Connection
Power of artmaking	Valuable activity Expressing and containing things through artwork Image starting a dialogue Changing experience of artwork and self
Challenges	Fragmented and chaotic group Impact of health, social issues and trauma backgrounds Access and funding Not for everyone
Supporting recovery	Linking up with community On-going art activity