Zubala Ania, Kennell Nicola, Hackett Simon
Institute of Health Research and Innovation, University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness, United Kingdom.
Independent Researcher, Moray, United Kingdom.
Front Psychol. 2021 Apr 8;12:595536. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.600070. eCollection 2021.
Psychotherapy interventions increasingly utilize digital technologies to improve access to therapy and its acceptability. Opportunities that digital technology potentially creates for art therapy reach beyond increased access to include new possibilities of adaptation and extension of therapy tool box. Given growing interest in practice and research in this area, it is important to investigate how art therapists engage with digital technology or how (and whether) practice might be safely adapted to include new potential modes of delivery and new arts media.
An integrative review of peer-reviewed literature on the use of digital technology in art therapy was conducted. The methodology used is particularly well suited for early stage exploratory inquiries, allowing for close examination of papers from a variety of methodological paradigms. Only studies that presented empirical outcomes were included in the formal analysis.
Over 400 records were screened and 12 studies were included in the synthesis, pertaining to both the use of digital technology for remote delivery and as a medium for art making. Included studies, adopting predominantly qualitative and mixed methods, are grouped according to their focus on: art therapists' views and experiences, online/distance art therapy, and the use of digital arts media. Recurring themes are discussed, including potential benefits and risks of incorporating digital technology in sessions with clients, concerns relating to ethics, resistance toward digital arts media, technological limitations and implications for therapeutic relationship and therapy process. Propositions for best practice and technological innovations that could make some of the challenges redundant are also reviewed. Future directions in research are indicated and cautious openness is recommended in both research and practice.
The review documents growing research illustrating increased use of digital technology by art therapists for both online delivery and digital art making. Potentially immense opportunities that technology brings for art therapy should be considered alongside limitations and challenges of clinical, pragmatic and ethical nature. The review aims to invite conversations and further research to explore ways in which technology could increase relevance and reach of art therapy without compromising clients' safety and key principles of the profession.
心理治疗干预越来越多地利用数字技术来改善治疗的可及性及其可接受性。数字技术为艺术治疗潜在创造的机会不仅限于增加可及性，还包括治疗工具箱的适应和扩展的新可能性。鉴于该领域在实践和研究方面的兴趣日益浓厚，研究艺术治疗师如何与数字技术互动，或者实践如何（以及是否）能够安全地适应以纳入新的潜在交付模式和新的艺术媒介，这一点很重要。
对同行评审的关于数字技术在艺术治疗中应用的文献进行了综合综述。所使用的方法特别适合早期探索性研究，能够仔细审查来自各种方法论范式的论文。正式分析仅纳入了呈现实证结果的研究。
筛选了400多篇记录，12项研究被纳入综合分析，涉及数字技术用于远程治疗以及作为艺术创作媒介的情况。纳入的研究主要采用定性和混合方法，根据其重点分为：艺术治疗师的观点和经验、在线/远程艺术治疗以及数字艺术媒介的使用。讨论了反复出现的主题，包括在与客户的治疗中纳入数字技术的潜在益处和风险、与伦理相关的问题、对数字艺术媒介的抵触、技术限制以及对治疗关系和治疗过程的影响。还审查了最佳实践的建议和能够消除一些挑战的技术创新。指出了未来的研究方向，并建议在研究和实践中保持谨慎的开放态度。
该综述记录了越来越多的研究表明艺术治疗师在在线治疗和数字艺术创作中更多地使用数字技术。技术为艺术治疗带来的潜在巨大机会应与临床、实际和伦理性质的限制及挑战一并考虑。该综述旨在引发讨论并促进进一步研究，以探索技术如何在不损害客户安全和该专业关键原则的情况下提高艺术治疗的相关性和覆盖面。
