Humanistic and developmental art therapy

Domain VIII · Creative & expressive arts therapies · Bruce Moon, Janie Rhyne, Natalie Rogers · 1977

What it is

"Humanistic and developmental art therapy" is an umbrella for two families of approach, not a single manualised therapy.

Format

• Within-session phases (Betensky). Her film describes three phases. Doing: making the art, with stress on the client's relationship with the materials and the process.
• Format: classroom groups, from early childhood to the teens.

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Course length and format. No session count is given in the sources. Betensky's film shows the same client at ages 10 and 15, which points to long-term, intermittent work. Rogers worked with individuals, groups and residential trainings. A typical individual session is 50–60 minutes: about 10 minutes check-in and media choice, 25–35 minutes making, 10–15 minutes looking and sharing. Groups need 90–120 minutes.
• UK: "art therapist" and "art psychotherapist" are titles protected by the HCPC. The route is an approved master's programme. The professional body is BAAT.
• US: the credentials are ATR / ATR-BC through ATCB, with AATA as the professional association.

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Embarrassment. Noise levels in shared buildings.
• Confidentiality. Disappointment if the work is not chosen.
• Your own urge to reassure or advise. It is working when the client goes deeper rather than closing down.
• Copying can be a coping strategy. Don't ban it; extend it gradually. It is working when personal symbols appear.
• Put-downs: teach and model specific, kind comments. It is working when clients spontaneously comment on peers' work.

Problems the guide addresses

• Stuck client (repetitive images, "nothing comes")
• "I can't draw" / performance anxiety
• Overwhelm, flooding, regression
• Resistance or refusal to make art
• Client wants interpretation, or you feel the pull to interpret
• Non-adherence with journaling between sessions
• Ruptures
• Developmental-specific problems
• Children and young people
• Risk and self-harm themes in images or writing

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.