Using Art Therapy with Diverse Populations by Kristel Jennie Prasad Sangeeta Howie Paula

Author:Kristel, Jennie,Prasad, Sangeeta,Howie, Paula
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780857006943
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Case Study

Khalid was a typical patient with SCI; he was not wearing a seatbelt while involved in a car accident. He presented as well groomed, of average height and weight, and carried prayer beads. Khalid was referred to art therapy by the treatment team as he apparently lacked motivation: sleeping during the day and missing all PT and OT sessions. Yet in the evening he was quite active, visiting others and praying/preaching to the point of disturbing other patients. His prognosis was that he would not be able to walk again and would rely on a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

During the first few sessions of rapport building, Khalid openly discussed religion and his views on women. His English skills were adequate enough that, after the initial intake session, translators were not necessary. He freely expressed his disdain for the hospital staff, especially the fact that men and women freely interacted with each other and appeared to be enjoying themselves, noting that he could see people smiling and hear people laughing. I never shared my thoughts on this, but did verbally reflect his experience back. The fact that I was a female therapist sitting in the room with Khalid did not cause him distress (or was perhaps causing him so much distress that he could not directly address it and could only discuss the behaviors between staff members). This may have been due to my nationality, which all patients were able to quickly identify by my hospital ID and by my accent.

As with other patients admitted to the rehabilitation hospital, Khalid saw artwork created by patients hung prominently in the hallways of the hospital. He was inspired by a current exhibition and was eager to draw his own story despite having no previous art background. One of Khalid’s first drawings depicts a man in a wheelchair reaching for dates (Figure 18.1). Above him are the words no life with despair. It is clear that the man would not be able to reach the dates without assistance. In session, Khalid expressed concerns about depicting the human figure, feeling that it was against Islam; yet he drew the person. To resolve this conflict, he drew a line between the head and the body of the seated person to denote that he was not trying to create an idol or imply that his skill was better than God’s (Awais 2011). The presence of a wheelchair can be seen as an acknowledgment of acceptance of his new physical condition (Wald 1999). The date palm is a reflection of the environment, a symbol of strength as the tree is bearing fruit, and possibly as another symbol of acceptance as the date palm is part of the hospital’s logo. My interventions were not directive in nature, but focused on providing a space for Khalid to reflect on his own process. In this safe space, Khalid was able to discuss his own interpretations of the drawing, utilizing the metaphor of the image drawn to parallel his own experiences.

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