The impact of the Art Therapy Large Group, an educational tool in the training of art therapists, on post-qualification professional practice

ABSTRACT

This article reports the findings of a Likert scale survey that was sent to past graduates of the MA Art Psychotherapy, Goldsmiths, University of London asking them about the relevance of their experience in the Art Therapy Large Group (ATLG) to their subsequent employment as art therapists or work in another capacity. The ATLG comprises all the students and staff in a psychodynamically based experiential group that meets six times during the year. Survey questions were drawn from previously devised theory and related to learning relevant to the workplace and the development of professional identity. Though there was a low response rate (20%), there were some significant findings, namely that graduates found the ATLG to be helpful in their work, whether this was art therapy or non-art therapy work, and that those who had studied part-time were much more positive about the applicability of their learning in the group to their work than those who had studied full-time. The findings suggest that the ATLG has a particular role in meeting key performance indicators in professional regulation and teaching and in quality assurance and employability policies in higher education. Finally, the potential for the use of the ATLG beyond the university in the public, private and voluntary sectors is suggested.

KEYWORDS:

• Large Group
• art
• therapy
• employment
• education
• training

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the staff and students who were in the Art Therapy Large Group during the period this survey covers and particularly those who submitted the questionnaires.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the British Academy [grant number R114710].

Notes on contributors

Sally Skaife

Notes on Contributors

Sally Skaife, PhD, is Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London where she teaches on the MA Art Psychotherapy and supervises research students. She is also a group analyst. She is a past chairperson of the British Association of Art Therapists, was an editor of Inscape, the journal of the British Association of Art Therapists, for 20 years. She co-authored Art Psychotherapy Groups: Between Pictures and Words with Val Huet and has published numerous journal articles and book chapters. Email: [email protected]

Kevin Jones

Kevin Jones, MA, is Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London where he is currently the Head of Department for Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies. He is a lecturer on the MA Art Psychotherapy and a psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice. Email: [email protected]

Panagiotis Pentaris

Panagiotis Pentaris is a PhD student, research assistant and lecturer in social work at Goldsmiths, University of London.