Artway: gallery art therapy group for young people with mental health difficulties

Background: Research suggests that art therapy in museums and galleries can be beneficial to mental wellbeing, but there has been little research in this field relating to young people. There is a need to understand how an art gallery context might contribute to such effects. Aims: We aimed to understand mechanisms of therapeutic change (Springham and Huet 2018), where it could be evidenced, when participants with mental health challenges made, looked at and discussed art together in an art gallery. Methods: Three eight-week art therapy groups were delivered for young people at a gallery alongside a professional artist. Fifteen participants completed standardised pre- and post-outcome measures to contextualise the theorising. Video recordings of sessions were analysed by two art psychotherapists in consultation with Author 2. We used grounded theory methodology to develop a theory about what processes were happening during the sessions. Results: There was a statistically significant change on self-reported wellbeing from beginning to end of the intervention for participants as a group, but not on the self-esteem measure. The developed theory describes the way the gallery context and working with an artist appeared to enhance and change the varying focus of an art therapy group. Conclusion: The developed theory goes some way to understanding the mechanisms of change in an art therapy group for young people in a gallery. Implications for practice/policy/future research: Contemporary art venues and working alongside professional artists can offer a stimulating environment for therapeutic change in art therapy groups. Further research is needed to develop the theory.