The arts as therapeutic interventions experiences of counsellors in Ghana

Abstract

The “Arts” or art forms as therapeutic intervention has been documented in professional journals as being as effective as talk therapy in reducing stress related symptoms. The advantage the “Arts” has over talk therapy is that the former can allow clients feel without talking, thereby leading to healing. To explore the experiences of counselling psychologists in using art forms (music, photography, dance, and drama) as therapy, 12 counsellors were purposively sampled. Gestalt therapy served as the theoretical foundation of the study. From a qualitative approach, the study employed hermeneutic phenomenology as the research design. Thematic analyses from interviews indicated that creative arts therapies are helpful in reducing depression and trauma-related symptoms such as dissociation, anxiety, nightmares, and sleep problems. Other positive outcomes recorded were that creative arts therapies increased emotional control, improved interpersonal relationships, improved body image and assertiveness. However, the study revealed some challenges about the use of arts as therapy. These are: lack of professional training in the various forms of art for therapy, infrastructural deficit, and client perceptions of the forms of arts. The study recommended that continuous professional development sessions for practising counsellors to help improve the use of art forms in therapy, and also, psychological associations should accept the practice and promote it to ease client negative perceptions. Implications for future research have been explored in the study.