Joint sand painting as a potential intervention technique in parent-child art psychotherapy: The subjective experiences of mothers and children in a non-therapeutic setting

The present study addressed joint sand painting as a potential intervention technique for use in parent-child art psychotherapy. Twelve mother-child dyads aged 6–10 participated in the study. They were asked to draw in the sand according to structured guidelines. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with both the mothers and children. After the transcription process, a thematic analysis approach was applied. Three themes emerged from the findings: (1) The mothers’ and children's experiences as reflected in the joint sand painting; (2) The joint sand painting as a space for reflecting about the relationship; (3) The joint sand painting as a “potential space” to strengthen the mother-child bond. Overall, the dyadic experience of the joint sand painting allowed the participants to engage in a unique bonding experience that led to a meaningful encounter and processes of development and change. Future research should examine sand painting in the professional setting of parent-child art psychotherapy and in different clinical populations.