Page 29 - ART FORM AND MENTAL HEALTH - Ingrid Pénzes

(Edwards, 2013; Hinz, 2009; Hyland Moon, 2010; Jones, 2005; Rubin, 2011; Schaverien, 2000; Schweizer et al., 2009), but little attention is paid to the role of the art materials in art therapy assessment research (Hyland Moon, 2010; Snir & Regev, 2013).
It is remarkable that our understanding of art materials and their use in art therapy assessments is so poor despite the claimed importance of these art materials in the literature. Research on this topic is scarce, which creates ample opportunity for speculation. For example, the assumption is that the use of art materials is so self-evident and taken for granted that it is simply forgotten in research (Rubin, 1999). Therefore, our present knowledge remains tacit (Gilroy, Tipple & Brown, 2012).
The current research asked experienced art therapists about their use of art materials in their assessment of adult clients with mental health problems to investigate the use of art materials in art therapeutic assessments. Our aim was to describe and to theorize the application of visual art materials in art therapists’ practice of assessing adult clients with mental health problems.
METHODS
This study used the principles of Grounded Theory (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). This qualitative research method systematically generates a theory grounded in empirical data. Grounded Theory employs an iterative process of data collection and analysis. Data in this study were gathered through interviews with seven experienced therapists and analyzed using open, axial and selective coding principles (Corbin & Strauss, 2008).
Figure 1 outlines the three main steps in this study. This process required constant comparison of all interviews. Constant comparison is inherent to grounded theory, and refers to “the analytic process of comparing different pieces of data for similarities and differences” (Corbin & Strauss, 2008, p. 65). This comparison is represented by the dotted lines.
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