A Narrative Study into the Experience of a Mother Using Child Art Therapy Services for an Extended Time

Abstract

This study aims to develop an in-depth understanding of art therapy process for children from the perspective of a mother who has used child art therapy services for a long time. To do so, we interviewed the mother of a child who received art therapy for 3 years and 6 months. Using Creswell's narrative research method (2013), we analyzed themes through analyzing and interpreting data. The results were as follows. First, the experience was largely expressed as four main themes: "Before Visiting the Therapy Center," "First Experience with Therapy," "Experience with Prolonged Therapy," and "Experience Transferring from One Therapy Center to Another." These were then subdivided into 10 themes: "I was anxious so I just did what I was told," "I could see the improvement in my child," "Title was very important," "My satisfaction was more important," "I preferred the therapy center over an educational institution," "I enjoyed personal conversations with the professor," "I had to pay for parking," "My anxiety started rising again," "Distance mattered," and "The therapist didn't seem to know more than I did." Based on the results of the study, we discussed the mother's decision whether to continue or quit using an art therapy service for her child. This study is expected to help therapists understand and interact with the parents of children using art therapy services.