Factors that influence engagement in an inpatient art therapy group for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

ABSTRACT

Within the current climate of budget cuts and funding reforms, evaluation and evidence-based practice is high on the agenda for art therapists as we seek to demonstrate the strengths of art therapy, what it does well and what it does differently. When clients drop out of groups, there is a valuable opportunity to explore barriers to therapeutic engagement, and to learn more about what art therapy provides by identifying what is being avoided. The findings of two art therapy pilot surveys are presented here to further understanding in these areas. The first aimed to understand why some veterans did not attend all the art therapy groups during a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) programme, to inform service development. The second was to test feedback about the benefits of art therapy. The surveys were conducted at Combat Stress, a mental health service provider for veterans. They proved to be useful for gathering data, testing ideas and generating evidence of participants’ experience of art therapy to share with service commissioners and to inform further research. Findings suggest that many participants were able to overcome avoidance and discovered unexpected benefits. Art therapy stimulated new ways of thinking, which helped to promote therapeutic engagement.

KEYWORDS:

• Art therapy
• PTSD
• veterans
• survey
• evidence
• avoidance
• therapeutic engagement

Acknowledgements

Thanks to all the veteran respondents who were involved in the surveys. Without their cooperation and desire to help those who follow, such research would not be possible.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Janice Lobban

Notes on Contributor

Janice Lobban is Senior Art Psychotherapist at Combat Stress. She has worked with veterans for the past 14 years and lectures regularly on the BAAT foundation course. She began working in neuro-rehabilitation in the 1980s and is particularly interested in understanding more about the partnering of art therapy and neuroscience. Correspondence welcome.