Art therapists' perceptions of their work with patients in treatment for substance abuse: A qualitative investigation.

This qualitative study explored art therapists' perceptions of art making in the treatment of substance abusers. Snowball sampling was employed in 90-minute audio taped interviews with 12 art therapists, each having at least three years' experience working with substance abusers. Themes that emerged include the art making process, exploring symbols, artwork analysis, psychological theories, techniques, gains attributed to art therapy, defenses, relapse, countertransference, and interprofessional relationships. This study suggests that: (1) the incorporation of art therapy techniques by social workers may improve aspects of treatment such as enhancing communication, overcoming rigid defense systems, and establishing a safe therapeutic environment, and (2) social work treatment of substance abusers can benefit from positive interaction with art therapists, through the analysis of symbolic images represented in the client's artwork and recognizing changes in the art making process. This study informs social work literature of the importance of creative art making in clinical treatment.