Developing principles of best practice for art therapists working with children and families

ABSTRACT

In 2010 the British Association of Art Therapists asked art therapists working with specific client groups to produce clear guidelines about current views on best practice in the field. Using the nominal group technique and a modified Delphi process, the special interest group Art Therapists working with Children, Adolescents and Families (ATCAF) produced 18 principles of best practice with a range of associated indicators. This article presents the methods and the results of that process followed by a brief discussion.

KEYWORDS:

• Art therapy
• guidelines
• child
• adolescent
• family
• consensus

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Erratum

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the members of ATCAF who took part in the development of the guidelines. Nominal group members: Lizzie Taylor Buck (Facilitator), Susan Allaker, Charlotte Allen, Michael Atkins, Michael Daniels, Kate Fitzsimon, Joelle Fourcin, Joan Francis, Jo Garber, Sharon Harriot, Anthea Hendry, Juliet King, Bernadette O’Callaghan, Amanda Platt, Diane Rees, Katie Wilson. Delphi Group members: Anne Briard, Mandy Dessent, Joan Francis, Hilary Hosea, Karen Fenna, Claire-Louise Leyland, Jude Littman, Sara Lockett, Alex McDonald, Dean Reddick, Sarah Butcher, Mark Wheeler. Coordinators of the Delphi process: Michael Daniels, Anthea Hendry. Our thanks also to the Research-Net group for their reading of the principles and to Michael Daniel for help with an early draft of this article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Dr Elizabeth Taylor Buck is a qualified, Health Professions Council registered art therapist who has been working with children, young people and families for the last 19 years, initially for the NSPCC and subsequently within a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS). In 2009 Lizzie was awarded an NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship from the National Institute of Health Research, which she completed in 2014. She now works as both a researcher and a clinician. Email: [email protected]

Anthea Hendry works as private practitioner, supervisor and trainer. She was Principal Art Psychotherapist in Leeds CAMHS and prior to that worked for many years in social services and the voluntary sector specialising in adoption and fostering. She has been an active member of the BAAT special interest group Art Therapists working with Children, Adolescents and Families (ATCAF) since it was established 11 years ago and is part of the research group for the BAAT Private Practice SIG. Email: [email protected]

ORCID

Elizabeth Taylor Buck http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2596-2655