Dyadic Art Therapy

Dyadic Art Therapy with parent and child.

HOW DOES DYADIC ART THERAPY HELP COUPLES AND FAMILIES?
It allows the therapist to observe and encourage the family's ability to play together, thereby strengthening attachment bonds.

The benefits of using Art Therapy with couples and families are the power of art to elicit the active participation of all family members in treatment, including nonverbal and less articulate family members. It has been noted that young children are often excluded from or ignored during family therapy sessions, despite their being a rich source of information about the family’s functioning and underlying concerns (Gil, 1994; Riley, 1994). In addition to eliciting important information of concern to the children, the use of art as a therapeutic tool provides a rare and often novel opportunity for adults and children to communicate with one another on an equal level.

Another benefit of the use of art in family therapy is the ability of art tasks to quickly uncover covert family dynamics and make these visible to the therapist and the family so that both can clearly “see” patterns that may have previously been so deeply ingrained as to make them invisible. Family members tend not to be aware that they are exposing their family dynamics through their artwork and are often less defensive than when verbally discussing their problems (Riley, 1994; Riley & Malchiodi, 2003; Rubin, 1978).

The immediacy of the art-making task provides the family with an opportunity to look at their way of relating to one another in the here and now (Wadeson, 1980), while the art products permit the family to observe themselves and their situation from a once removed vantage point and take a reflective stance (Riley, 1994).

Dyadic Art Therapy with a couple.

Another advantage of the use of art in family therapy is the primacy of the image as a communication tool. Images are systemic – they have an inherent capacity to synthesize and express multiple aspects of a subject or theme in a way that words do not (Riley & Malchiodi, 2003; Wadeson, 1980). Hence the expression “a picture speaks a thousand words”. Furthermore, an image is concrete and tangible and can be referenced by the therapist and the family over the course of treatment, acting as a rich source for continued exploration and a “permanent record of change” documenting the family’s progress (Wadeson, 1980, p. 284).

Reference:
‘The use of art in couples and family therapy’ by:
Maya Shalmon, MA, M.F.T.; Heather McLaughlin, MA, M.F.T.; Joan Keefler, Ph.D., S.W., M.F.T.

COSTS
Book your FREE 20 min CALL for initial enquiries.
Call me, Irene Malvezi, at 07715601222 or email at

Before working together with you as a couple or family, it is advisable to have assessment meeting to agree that Dyadic Art Therapy would be the right intervention for you. We then would agree with an initial number of sessions (normally six) followed by a review for the next stage of the treatment.

Assessment: 50 minutes - £50
Dyadic Sessions: 60 minutes - £100