Using post-session response art in clinical practice: Working with children who have experienced trauma
This thesis examined the use of post-session response art making as a tool to reflect on clinical work with clients. Over the course of the author’s clinical placement at a child protection agency in Singapore, she had conducted art therapy sessions with children who had experienced trauma. Response art that was created after the sessions were collected and used as data for this thesis. Utilising a heuristic methodology, five artworks made in response to sessions with a 10-year-old female were explored and discussed. It was found that the post-session response art making served two main purposes: to contain and to mirror. Post-session art making enabled the author to manage emotions arising from the session, and also to better understand the client’s own emotions and processes. This led to improved attunement with the client. Due to the phenomenological nature of the research, and the limited number of cases discussed, further research is recommended for a broadened application.