Working with loss: An examination of how language can be used to address the issue of loss in art therapy

Abstract

Drawing upon the academic literature on the concepts of intersubjectivity, identification and reflexivity, this article will examine the ubiquity of loss and how this can influence the manner in which art therapists work with clients facing a life threatening illness or a significant bereavement. Using case work from hospice settings and referring to the aforementioned paradigms, it will illustrate how the language currently used to describe this work is insufficient in capturing the nuances and power of these interactions. This, it will be argued, can both diminish the effectiveness of the evidence base for art therapy and minimise the effect it can have on the therapist as well as the client, to the detriment of both. This article will assert that the art therapy profession is robust enough to incorporate a less ‘objectified’ vocabulary, which can both better capture what we do and differentiate us from other similar interventions. It concludes that far from inviting criticism, such an approach in fact strengthens our credentials to practise in a rapidly changing work environment.

Keywords:

• Loss
• intersubjectivity
• identification
• art therapy
• language
• creativity