ATIC: Developing a recovery-based art therapy practice

Abstract

This article describes the development of Art Therapy In the Community (ATIC), a recovery-based art therapy group designed to meet the needs of a population of adults with severe mental illness who are making the transition from acute to community mental health care. After discussing the recovery approach and its relevance to our practice, the article outlines the six key features of ATIC. By using a mixed methods evaluation we seek to examine ATIC's effectiveness in increasing well-being and social inclusion and decreasing distress for our client group. Results indicate that ATIC is experienced as a helpful intervention for service users with severe mental illness, and that the group may contribute to recovery. In conclusion we recommend areas for further investigation and argue that recovery principles and art therapy practice are compatible.

Keywords:

• Group art therapy
• recovery
• acute mental health
• community
• co-delivery
• transition

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Tony Gammidge for his early involvement in the design of the group and for coming up with the name ATIC.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Julie Allan

Biographical details

Julie Allan works as an Art Therapist for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust within adult mental health inpatient and forensic settings. She has a particular interest in working with psychotic clients and in the role of art therapy within psychiatric intensive care units. As a long term member of the Art Therapy Practice and Research Network she is interested in developing research into the evaluation of inpatient art therapy groups. Julie is also a qualified cognitive analytic therapist.

Heather Barford

Heather Barford works as an Art Therapist for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in adult mental health–acute care. She has a background of working in community arts and health settings with people with learning disabilities. Since qualifying as an Art Therapist in 1991 she has worked in adult mental health, dementia care, with carers/families of people with mental health needs and currently specialises in working with people in acute states of mental illness. She contributed to the publication, Art Therapy Race and Culture (1999).

Florence Horwood

Florence received a psychology degree from the University of Southampton in 2013 and began a Psychology Graduate Internship with Sussex Partnership shortly afterwards. During this internship she has worked with the arts therapies service and has been involved in the evaluation of several projects. She is beginning a Masters course in Clinical Psychology at the University of Sussex in 2014.

Joanna Stevens

Joanna Stevens is a Consultant Psychological Therapist: Art Therapy and former Lead for Arts Therapies for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, an organisational consultant and artist. Since qualifying from the University of Hertfordshire in 1999 she has worked in adult mental health, with children and young people and in dementia care. Her current clinical practice is with a specialist recovery support service for people with personality disorder. She is currently training in Exploratory Goal Corrected Psychotherapy. Email: [email protected]

Gerard Tanti

Gerard is a multi-media artist working with found objects, ceramics, printing and installation. His image ‘All the books I wanted to read and never wrote’ featured on the front cover of Inscape: International Journal of Art Therapy, Vol 16 Issue 1 June 2011. Since 1986 he has used art and art therapy over the last 30 years as a way of coping with his experience of schizophrenia. He took up the role of Peer Arts Worker with ATIC in 2011.