Art Therapy through a Continuum of Care in Women's Health

Abstract

The present study used an integrative literature review methodology to identify the art therapy treatment needs of mothers and families experiencing a high-risk pregnancy within a women's health facility, in order to propose an art therapy treatment model for this population that spans a continuum of care. Three identified stages of a continuum of care included: high-risk hospitalization, neonatal intensive care, and postpartum outpatient services. The results indicated that there are differentiated treatment issues for each stage of care that art therapists can address through individual and group art therapy programming. The present study used these findings to create an integrated program for art therapy across a continuum of care in the woman's hospital. The program's action plan followed the patient and their family through six steps across the care continuum: (1) recruitment and referral, (2) intake evaluations, (3) assessment of needs, (4) treatment planning and recommendations, (5) transitional care, and (6) termination. The researcher developed individual and group art therapy programming to address the treatment issues identified in the literature for each stage of care, with examples of interventions provided for each. Recommendations for future research include implementation of art therapy continuum of care programming in a women's health facility and evaluation of its effectiveness.