Profession art therapist

Art therapists help patients overcome psychological and emotional difficulties through an artistic process which reflects emotions and feelings, focusing on patients who suffer a variety of problems such as mental, psychological, and behavioural disorders in order to facilitate self-understanding and awareness.

Personality Type

• Social / Investigative
• Investigative / Social
• Artistic / Social

Knowledge

• Cognitive psychology

  The human mental processes such as attention, memory, language use, perception, problem solving, creativity and thinking.

• Techniques of practice in art therapy

  The direct experience of the therapeutic utility and psychological influence of art processes and materials, and the therapeutic effect of art making, leading to the establishment of therapeutic goals and intervention strategies.

• Psychological theories

  The historical development of counselling and psychological theories, as well as the perspectives, applications, and interviewing and counselling strategies.

• Psychopathology

  The criteria of psychiatric diagnoses, the use of the disease classification system, and the theories of psychopathology. The indicators of functional and organic disorders and the types of psychopharmacological medications.

• Human psychological development

  The human psychological development across the lifespan, theories of personality development, cultural and environmental influences, human behavior, including developmental crises, disability, exceptional behavior, and addictive behavior.

• Health care legislation

  The patients` rights and responsibilities of health practitioners and the possible repercussions and prosecutions in relation to medical treatment negligence or malpractice.

• Fine arts

  The theory and techniques required to compose, produce and perform works of visual arts as drawing, painting, sculpture and other art forms.

• Theory of art therapy

  The art therapy history and theory, events, and practitioners, and the development of art therapy as a distinct therapeutic practice, the overview of psychotherapy theories relevant to art therapy, theories of creativity, and theoretical foundations of art therapy.

• Behavioural therapy

  The characteristics and foundations of behavioural therapy, which focuses on changing patients` unwanted or negative behaviour. It involves studying the present behaviour and the means by which this can be un-learned.

• Sociology

  The group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

Skills

• Comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice

  Apply quality standards related to risk management, safety procedures, patients feedback, screening and medical devices in daily practice, as they are recognized by the national professional associations and authorities.

• Develop educational materials on art therapy

  Develop educational materials to educate patients, families, staff, and public about art therapy.

• Work in multidisciplinary health teams

  Participate in the delivery of multidisciplinary health care, and understand the rules and competences of other healthcare related professions.

• Apply context specific clinical competences

  Apply professional and evidence based assessment, goal setting, delivery of intervention and evaluation of clients, taking into account the developmental and contextual history of the clients, within one`s own scope of practice.

• Schedule artistic activities

  Plan, design and facilitate a schedule of artistic activities for individuals and groups.

• Enable patients to explore artworks

  Enable patients to discover and explore works of art and the artistic production process.

• Formulate a case conceptualisation model for therapy

  Compose an individualised treatment plan in collaboration with the individual, striving to match his or her needs, situation, and treatment goals to maximise the probability of therapeutic gain; considering any possible personal, social, and systemic barriers that might undermine treatment.

• Motivate patiens

  Encourage the patient's motivation to change and promote the belief that therapy can help, using techniques and treatment engagement procedures for this purpose.

• Contribute to continuity of health care

  Contribute to the delivery of coordinated and continuous healthcare.

• Accept own accountability

  Accept accountability for one`s own professional activities and recognise the limits of one`s own scope of practice and competencies.

• Encourage healthcare user's self-monitoring

  Encourage the healthcare user to engage in self-monitoring by conducting situational and developmental analyses on him- or herself. Assist the healthcare user to develop a degree of self-critique and self-analysis in regards to his behaviour, actions, relationships and self-awareness.

• Interact with healthcare users

  Communicate with clients and their carer’s, with the patient’s permission, to keep them informed about the clients’ and patients’ progress and safeguarding confidentiality.

• Provide health education

  Provide evidence based strategies to promote healthy living, disease prevention and management.

• Comply with legislation related to health care

  Comply with the regional and national legislation that is relevant to one`s work and apply it in practice.

• Assess art therapy sessions

  Evaluate the effectiveness of art therapy sessions to aid the planning of subsequent sessions.

• Inform policy makers on health-related challenges

  Provide useful information related to health care professions to ensure policy decisions are made in the benefit of communities.

• Challenge patient behaviour by means of art

  Constructively challenge the behaviour, attitude and mind-set of patients through art therapy sessions.

• Promote inclusion

  Promote inclusion in health care and social services and respect diversity of beliefs, culture, values and preferences, keeping in mind the importance of equality and diversity issues.

• Respond to changing situations in health care

  Cope with pressure and respond appropriately and in time to unexpected and rapidly changing situations in healthcare.

• Educate on the prevention of illness

  Offer evidence-based advice on how to avoid ill health, educate and advise individuals and their carers on how to prevent ill health and/or be able to advise how to improve their environment and health conditions. Provide advice on the identification of risks leading to ill health and help to increase the patients' resilience by targeting prevention and early intervention strategies.

• Prepare treatment plan for art therapy

  Make a treatment plan outlining possible art therapy strategies such as drawing, painting, sculpture, and collage with patients ranging from young children to the elderly, looking for forms of art therapy that might be helpful in meeting the patient`s needs.

• Use e-health and mobile health technologies

  Use mobile health technologies and e-health (online applications and services) in order to enhance the provided healthcare.

• Assess the patient's therapeutic needs

  Observe and assess the patient`s behaviour, attitudes and emotions in order to understand if and how their therapeutic needs can be met with a specific kind of therapy, collecting and analysing information on how the client makes, responds to, and relates to artistic stimulae. Relate this information to other aspects of the patient`s life.

• Apply organisational techniques

  Employ a set of organisational techniques and procedures which facilitate the achievement of the goals set. Use these resources efficiently and sustainably, and show flexibility when required.

• Apply health sciences

  Apply a broad range of bio-medical, psycho-social, organisational, educational, and societal aspects of health, disease, and healthcare to improve healthcare services and to improve quality of life.

• Listen actively

  Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users or others, and provide solutions accordingly.

• Maintain healthcare user data confidentiality

  Comply with and maintain the confidentiality of healthcare users` illness and treatment information.

• Apply art therapy interventions

  Treat children, adolescents, adults, couples and families in inpatient, outpatient, partial treatment programs, and aftercare with art therapy interventions, to explore verbal, behavioral, and artistic communication, treatment planning, treatment approaches and relationship dynamics.

• Deal with emergency care situations

  Assess the signs and be well-prepared for a situation that poses an immediate threat to a person's health, security, property or environment.  

• Use art in a therapeutic setting

  Work creatively with various groups of patients in a therapeutic setting.

• Communicate effectively in healthcare

  Communicate effectively with patients, families and other caregivers, health care professionals, and community partners.

• Develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship

  Develop a mutually collaborative therapeutic relationship during treatment, fostering and gaining healthcare users' trust and cooperation.

• Treat medical conditions with art therapy

  Elicit clients' inherent capacity for art making to enhance their physical, mental and emotional well-being, treating people with developmental, medical, educational and social or psychological impairment.

• Take referred patients

  Take referred patients, including self-referred ones and referrals from other professionals such as teachers, psychologists, therapists and psychiatrists.

• Advise on healthcare users' informed consent

  Ensure patients/clients are fully informed about the risks and benefits of proposed treatments so they can give informed consent, engaging patients/clients in the process of their care and treatment.

• Follow clinical guidelines

  Follow agreed protocols and guidelines in support of healthcare practice which are provided by healthcare institutions, professional associations, or authorities and also scientific organisations.

• Refer healthcare users

  Make referrals to other professionals, based on the healthcare user's requirements and needs, especially when recognising that additional healthcare diagnostics or interventions are required.

• Ensure safety of healthcare users

  Make sure that healthcare users are being treated professionally, effectively and safe from harm, adapting techniques and procedures according to the person's needs, abilities or the prevailing conditions.

• Adhere to organisational guidelines

  Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.

• Manage healthcare users' data

  Keep accurate client records which also satisfy legal and professional standards and ethical obligations in order to facilitate client management, ensuring that all clients' data (including verbal, written and electronic) are treated confidentially.

• Work in a multicultural environment in health care

  Interact, relate and communicate with individuals from a variety of different cultures, when working in a healthcare environment.

• Organise relapse prevention

  Help the patient or client identify and anticipate high risk situations or external and internal triggers. Support them in developing better coping strategies and back-up plans in case of future difficulties.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB