Parental accompaniment in the education system: The development of a working model

The present study reports findings from interviews conducted with 12 arts therapists on their perceptions of a model they developed for working with parents in the education system. The therapists, who are also the co-researchers, initiated and took part in all stages of the study. They provided the initial directions for a semi-structured interview which was administered to them by the external researchers. These two external researchers then analyzed the interview data according to the principles of thematic analysis (Clarke & Braun, 2014), after which four focus groups were held to discuss the findings. The findings resulted in a preliminary model for working with parents in the education system that consists of the goals, approaches, the parents and arts therapists it is designed for, the work contract, how the arts are introduced, the main types of interventions, contact with the educational staff, as well as the difficulties. Alongside dilemmas related to the accuracy of the model, and the challenges regarding its application, parental accompaniment is a growing trend and, in many cases, can lead to change or to a better understanding of the importance of this change.