Literature review of art therapy-based interventions for work-related stress

Abstract

Numerous interventions have been developed to address work-related stress but evidence of their efficacy is sparse. A growing interest in the impact of the arts on well-being is reflected in arts-based interventions being used to address work-related stress, but these remain poorly evidenced. This article reviews art therapy publications describing interventions to address work-related stress and aims to ascertain the current state of practice and research within this field. Publications were organised into two categories: art therapy interventions within mental and general healthcare; and art therapy interventions within palliative and oncology care, a category that comprised nearly one-half of all publications reviewed.

Keywords:

• Work-related stress
• art therapy
• art-viewing
• art-making
• creativity

Notes

¹ See the ‘Nicholson Challenge’, Department of Health, 2008–2009.

² The search strategy is detailed in Appendix A at the end of the article.

³ The use of a capital letter for Burnout indicates that in this context, this word refers to the Maslach Burnout Inventory and not to the generally used term ‘burnout’.

Additional information

Biographical details

Val Huet is the Chief Executive Officer of the BAAT and has been an art therapist since 1986. She later trained as a group psychotherapist and as an organisation consultant, and has recently completed a PhD on art therapy-based interventions for work-related stress in health and social care. Email: [email protected]