COVID-19 transforms art therapy services in the Arabian Gulf

ABSTRACT

Background

Art therapy in the Arabian Gulf is still nascent.

Context

This article discusses the impact of COVID-19 and the development of art therapy in the region and identifies both the challenges and advantages that this global pandemic brought to a small group of art therapists practicing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar.

Approach

Our approach is rooted in relational cultural theory (RCT).

Outcomes

For art therapists in a private practice in Dubai, the pandemic provided an opportunity to widen services and accessibility. In a hospital setting in Qatar, new regulations during the pandemic required adaptations that possibly contributed to stress and anxiety for the art therapist, patients, and health workers. Unexpected perceived changes included: highlighted stigma, increased openness, increased engagement, and change in perception of the art therapy service.

Conclusions

For these art therapists, practicing in the Arabian Gulf, the global pandemic increased awareness of cultural competence and led to the development of online art therapy services.

Implications for research

There is a dearth of art therapy research in the region. Future research on cultural competence and the efficacy of telehealth are recommended to develop a robust evidence base for the practice of art therapy in the Arabian Gulf.

Plain-language summary

Art therapy is relatively new in the Arabian Gulf, with most art therapists completing their training in the West. During the global pandemic and the changes caused by COVID-19, art therapists had the opportunity to address critical issues in their practice. This article presents two different views from two culturally similar Middle Eastern countries into what happened during the global pandemic of 2020. The first view describes how the pandemic brought about the development of online art therapy within a private practice in Dubai, UAE. The second view describes multiple adaptations to the delivery of art therapy within a hospital setting in Qatar. In the private practice, developing online art therapy became an opportunity to increase access for people residing outside of Dubai, in other emirates, and beyond. Art therapists also noticed how online art therapy may impact privacy, as clients could complete their sessions from their own homes, and stigma concerning mental health. At the hospital setting in Qatar, COVID-19 brought a new way of working focused on safety. The art therapist in Qatar discusses how these changes impacted her work and some of the perceived unexpected gains that resulted, such as more collaboration with other professionals, more engagement from the patients, and a new openness around mental health as the families could communicate about a shared concern: COVID-19. In both cases, the pandemic brought development and opportunities for growth. The article’s focus is to highlight the cultural differences of working in this region and to acknowledge the need for future research. Because the field is relatively new in the region, there is limited research; the art therapists have to rely on increased cultural awareness to adapt their practice to be helpful to service users.

KEYWORDS:

• Art therapy
• telehealth
• culture
• Arabian Gulf
• COVID-19
• pandemic
• online art therapy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Authors Biographical Note

Natalia Gomez Carlier earned her degree in Psychology from Universidad de Los Andes, a Masters in Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is a Registered Board-Certified Art Therapist with the Art Therapy Credentials Board. She was Founder and President of the Colombian Art Therapy Association, taught at Universities and frequently presents at International Mental Health Conferences. She has practiced as a psychotherapist for more than 20 years in Bogota, Chicago, New York, Muscat and now Dubai. Natalia is trained in psychodynamics and is able to use and adapt different techniques and modalities according to the needs of each individual. Incorporating techniques from CBT, Gestalt, Brief Therapy, Jungian Therapy, Transpersonal, Mindfulness, and other modalities therapy is oriented by the uniqueness of each individual. She speaks English and Spanish fluently; and is a 300HR Jivamukti Yoga Teacher.

Sara Powell is from the UK and is the founder of ATIC Psychological and Counselling Center, Dubai. She holds a MA in Art Therapy from LASALLE University Singapore. She is HCPC, UK registered and a member of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). Sara has over 10 years clinical experience and has provided art therapy to children, adolescents, adults, families, and has facilitated a variety of groups. Sara has overseen numerous projects consulting Government agencies in Singapore and UAE. She specializes in women's issues, and child and adolescent related disorders. Sara is passionate in the development of art therapy in the Gulf and in the development of early intervention services.

Mariam El-Halawani, MAAT, ATR, is a US trained art psychotherapist and has an MA in Art Therapy from New York University, New York. Her clinical experience includes working with clients in psychiatric, medical, educational and clinical settings in different countries including the US, Italy and the UAE. She has a special interest in working with adolescents and young adults experiencing psychological distress, suicidal ideation, self-harm and/or identity confusion. Being born and raised in the Middle East, Mariam’s expertise also lies in supporting Arab families in navigating multigenerational patterns, trauma and difficult relational dynamics. Mariam’s areas of research focus on vulnerable and stigmatized groups, such as migrants and displaced individuals, and how to support them through art psychotherapy services. She is a part time lecturer and has presented in international and regional mental health conferences. Mariam is a member of the American Art Therapy Association. Mariam follows a psychodynamic and client-centered approach that is trauma-informed and culturally sensitive.

Michelle Dixon, MAAT AThR, has worked as an Art Therapist over the last 10 years, completing a Masters of Art Therapy at La Trobe University, Australia. She is registered with the Australia, New Zealand and Asia Creative Arts Association (ANZACATA) and American Art Therapy Association (AATA). She works across family violence, adult palliative care and bereavement, specialiazing in pediatric hospital settings including Oncology and Hematology. In her previous role as an Art Therapist at the Royal Children’s Hospital, she co-curated three exhibitions exploring patient and family member’s experiences of cancer. Over the last three years, Michelle initiated the first pediatric Art Therapy service in Qatar, working in a Hospital in Qatar. She has presented at two international conferences and is currently writing a practice paper on the experience.

Alan S. Weber, PhD, has taught the Medical and Health Humanities–including the history, philosophy and sociology of medicine and Islamic Medical Ethics at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar for the past fourteen years. He is the author of a widely used textbook on the history of science and medicine, Nineteenth Century Science (2000). He has directed a number of narrative medicine and medical humanities projects in Qatar at the national and institutional level including a nationally-distributed public brochure on Health Website Reliability, a booklet of patient education cancer survivor stories for the Qatar Cancer Society, a nationally-funded research project on Literature and Medicine, six volumes of medical student essay writing, and the first cross-disciplinary Art-Medicine undergraduate course in the Arabian Gulf (with Amy Andres, T. Himsworth, and Stephen Scott, M.D.). He conducted an interventional educational trial on the use of graphic novels in medical ethics teaching in 2015. He has organized and Co-Directed nine ACCME-accredited workshops on the medical humanities at WCM-Q.