Art therapy has a long
history in mental health care but requires an enhanced evidence base in order
to better identify its precise role in contemporary services. This paper
describes an evaluation of an art therapy programme in an acute adult
psychiatry admission unit in Ireland. A mixed method research design was used. Quantitative
data were collected through a survey of 35 staff members and 11 service-users. Qualitative
data included free-text comments collected in the survey and individual feedback
from service-users. Both methods aimed to assess the role of art therapy as
part of a multi-disciplinary mental health service. Thematic content analysis
was employed to analyse qualitative data. Staff demonstrated overwhelming
support for art therapy as one element within multi-disciplinary services
available to patients in the acute psychiatry setting, Qualitative feedback associated
art therapy with improvements in quality of life and individual support, and
emphasised its role as a non-verbal intervention, especially useful for those
who find talking therapy difficult. Creative self-expression is valued by staff
and service-users as part of the recovery process. Recommendations arising from the research include continuing the
art therapy service, expanding it to include rehabilitation patients, provision
of information and education sessions to staff, and further research to identify
other potential long-term effects. The low response of staff and small sample
in this study, however, must be noted as limitations to these findings.