Page 147 - ART FORM AND MENTAL HEALTH - Ingrid Pénzes
P. 147

meet these treatment goals.
Specifying the relationship between the art form and mental health directs
art therapy observation in practice, not only the do’s, but also the don’ts. In several art therapy practices, art-based assessments that measure a large number of formal elements and relate them to symptoms of psychiatric disorders, and assessments that interpret the symbolic meaning of the art product are still commonly used. Our findings suggested that it is possible to focus on the combination of a small number of formal elements because they reflect the clients’ material interaction and mental health.
Providing an evidence base for the observation of the art form in art therapy assessment may promote the recognition of art therapy as an innovative profession that contributes to the usual assessment of clients in adult mental health.
Recommendations for further research
Based on the findings of this research project, some new or additional topics emerged for further research.
In total, 68 art therapists participated in this research: 54 in the qualitative studies in Chapters 2 and 3 regarding material interaction, and 14 in the studies regarding the formal elements of the art product in Chapters 4 and 5. The majority of these therapists practiced in the Netherlands. Although we included five art therapists from Israel, Finland, Germany, the US and the UK to contrast findings with regard to the formal elements, further generalizability of art therapists’ perspectives may need to be checked through further research.
In this research, art therapists have been able to gain a perspective on mental health based on one art product. The arts therapists stated, however, that they would prefer to observe more than one art product to gain a better perspective on “variation” over several art products. Variation was not operationalized in this project; therefore, further research could include at least three art products to further operationalize the concept of variation.
Our findings, in line with current literature, highlighted the therapeutic potential of diverse art material properties to achieve a more “affective” or “cognitive” experience to enhance balance between “thought” and “feeling”. Based on the findings in Chapter 2, we know that the systematic application of art materials evokes specific experiences and allows the art therapist
 Summary and general discussion | 145
6
























































































   145   146   147   148   149