Objectives, interventions and challenges in parent-child art psychotherapy

The present article is part of a broader study that addresses the consolidation of a parent-child art psychotherapy model. Twenty parent-child art therapists participated in this study. Fifteen were interviewed regarding their practical experience. A systematic qualitative analysis of the interviews was conducted to identify the main objectives and interventions that reflect the way they work. The results show that most therapists define the main objective of parent-child art psychotherapy to be creating a change or improving the child's mental well-being, behavior, and functioning. The interviews also revealed four intermediate objectives: (1) creating the time and space for spending time together; (2) creating a play space within the therapy room; (3) observing and learning from the interaction; (4) providing the parents with information and support. Interventions related to each objective are discussed.