Magic

• Art therapy uses creative processes, primarily visual art such as painting, drawing or sculpture, with a view to improving physical health and emotional wellbeing.
• Art therapy can be used to support treatment for a wide range of physical and mental health conditions.
• In a study published this week in the Journal of Mental Health, we found art therapy was associated with positive outcomes for children and adolescents in a hospital-based mental health unit.

An option for those who can’t find the words

• Where possible, after finishing an artwork, a person can explore the meaning of their work with the art therapist, translating unspoken symbolic material into verbal reflection.
• However, as the talking component is less central to the therapeutic process, art therapy is an accessible option for people who may not be able to find the words to describe their experiences.
• Art therapy has also been linked to improved outcomes for people with a range of physical health conditions.

Our research

• While most care takes place in the community, a small proportion of young people require care in hospital to ensure their safety.
• However, these “restrictive practices” are associated with negative effects such as post-traumatic stress for patients and health professionals.
• Read more:
  'An arts engagement that's changed their life': the magic of arts and health

  Our research looked at more than six years of data from a child and adolescent mental health hospital ward in Australia.

• Confirming the effect of a therapeutic intervention requires controlled clinical trials where people are randomly assigned one treatment or another.
• Although ours was an observational study, randomised controlled trials support the benefits of art therapy in youth mental health services.

What do young people think?

• In previous research we found art therapy was considered by adolescents in hospital-based mental health care to be the most helpful group therapy intervention compared to other talk-based therapy groups and creative activities.
• In research not yet published, we’re speaking with young people to better understand their experiences of art therapy, and why it might reduce distress.

A promising area

The burgeoning research showing the benefits of art therapy for both physical and especially mental health highlights the value of creative and innovative approaches to treatment in health care. There are opportunities to expand art therapy services in a range of health-care settings. Doing so would enable greater access to art therapy for people with a variety of physical and mental health conditions.

• She has received funding from the Health Education and Training Institute (HETI) for the Mental Health Research Award.
• Iain Perkes works for the University of New South Wales and the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network which is part of NSW Health.
• He is affiliated with Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and the Health Education and Training Institute (HETI, NSW Health).