Re/imaginings in art psychotherapy for girls & young women.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The re/imaginings in art psychotherapy for girls and young women.
IRAS ID
212963
Contact name
Jill Westwood
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Goldsmiths, University of London, Department of Social, Therapeutic & Community Studies
Duration of Study in the UK
5 years, 0 months, 2 days
Research summary
This research concerns the significant number of girls and young women who identify as having experienced social and/or economic hardship and as a consequence a lack of opportunities and life chances accessing Sussex Partnership Foundation NHS Trust Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS), also known as Children & Young People's Services (ChYPS) and their experience of art psychotherapy. It aims to explore the ways in which CAMHS/ChYPS may encourage or hinder development, empowerment, and positive change. Many of the girls and young women referred to CAMHS/ChYPS are dealing with low self-esteem, lack of positive body image, and experience difficulty engaging in education and employment, are unhopeful about their futures and struggle to work towards recovery. Art psychotherapists have identified the importance of acknowledging difference and how disadvantage and lack of choices impact on patient/client self-esteem and how the sense of choice and control through art psychotherapy can have a positive effect on mental health. Through art psychotherapy these girls and young women can work towards seeing a more hopeful future in which they can engage in bringing about positive change for themselves, working towards enhancing their life chances and a transformation of their mental health. In summary, this is an interview based research study which seeks to explore the experience of girls and young women in art psychotherapy and show ways in which they are able to feel empowered, re-imagine, and remake themselves through engagement with art psychotherapy. The study, undertaken as part of a PHD which could last 6-8 years in total (as the researcher is studying part-time) with the data collection period planned to take 2 years.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/1689
Date of REC Opinion
10 Oct 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion