Art Therapy With Chronic Physically Ill Adolescents: Exploring the Effectiveness of Medical Art Therapy As a Complementary Treatment

Art Therapy with Chronic Physically Ill Adolescents explores the effectiveness of art therapy as a primary intervention with an adolescent population with chronic physical illness- in this particular case, with adolescents in chronic renal failure either on hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or after kidney transplantation. The hypothesis is that art therapy: (1) facilitates expression of emotions through artwork, ideally including verbal expression; (2) enhances self-esteem and identity; (3) helps them cope with their chronic physical illness; and (4) finally, offers an opportunity to vent anger and frustration (catharsis). By getting a safe place to explore issues related not only to the developmental stage but also to the conditions of chronic physical illness, these teenagers may begin to discover their individual strengths through art therapy, rather than dwell primarily on their individual weaknesses. In essence, the book will explore whether art therapy can be a means by which this population could be helped to accept and integrate their chronic physical conditions into their lives and to find an appropriate place in our society. In addition, the book will investigate whether art therapy could become a sanctuary, one in which the patient is allowed to keep control, to make his own decisions, and to explore and develop a sense of freedom in an overwhelming controlling environment. Consisting of four chapters, Chapter 1 provides an in-depth perspective on literature review and adolescence as a developmental stage. The psychological impact of chronic physical illness in adolescence, creativity and art therapy, medical art therapy, and the creative process is discussed. Chapter 2 studies methodology, independent variables, settings, procedures, materials used, and the gathering of data. Chapter 3 addresses case histories, their artwork the short-term treatment group, and the long-term treatment group. Seven clients and examples of their artwork are presented. Chapter 4 discusses results, conclusions and ideas for further studies.