Page 102 - ART FORM AND MENTAL HEALTH - Ingrid Pénzes

positive mental-health”. However, the therapists in this study often mention them together and point out that these concepts are closely interrelated, i.e. the severity of the problem and the potential resources of the client are seen as two sides of the same coin. This raises the question whether and to what degree balance and adaptability are independent, distinct, concepts. Literature on this matter is divided. Some studies question the distinction between mental illness and mental health (adaptation) (Lukat et al., 2016; Van Erp Taalman Kip & Hutschemaekers, 2018). The seven formal elements that emerged in this study might enable art therapists to gain perspective on the strengths and resources as challenges of clients. The findings add to studies that relate formal elements either to specific disorders or clients’ strengths and recourses in art therapy observation and assessment. The use of formal elements in art therapy observation provides a broader perspective on the client as a person.
Critical reflection and implications for practice and future research
This study conceptualizes three patterns of balance in combination with the variation in the art product. These patterns provide perspective on clients’ strengths, resources and challenges. It may be of interest in future research to investigate if and how the formal elements may differentiate in the way they are present between clients with diverse mental health issues. Due to the limited number of art products included in this study, future research might include more art products to investigate if the same patterns emerge or if these patterns can be differentiated, specified or added.
Additionally, it may be useful to incorporate more than one art product of each client in future research to investigate if that leads to a more precise and differentiated observation of variation and adaptability. Even though all therapists largely agreed on clients’ variation and adaptability, they preferred more than one art product to estimate the variation.
Art therapists of three nationalities participated in this study. They cannot represent current international perspectives on art therapy assessment (Gilroy, Tipple & Brown, 2012). However, they agreed on the formal elements and concepts of mental health. Findings of this study could be a valuable starting point to replicate the study in a broader international scope. Future research may address the potential of these concepts in contributing to the international current literature.
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