ABSTRACT This paper highlights the benefits of art therapy with couples, integrating sex therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) premises, and illustrating the use of creative and expressive tools to uniquely assess and foster relational and intimate bonds. While art therapists have long worked from systemic and creative frames, previous art therapy research explored attachment or dyadic art making, has not often explored its application within couples’ therapy treatment. From a clinical perspective, however, anecdotal accounts of art therapy interventions with couples working on intimacy and relational issues and growing development of (non-art therapy) couples’ treatment models, such as EFT and sex therapy support the potential usefulness of art therapy with couples. This paper, therefore, first introduces the theoretical premises of art therapy with couples, offers intervention examples, and then discusses considerations for art therapists preparing to work with couples or research such interventions. Plain-language summary Supporting couples in therapy is an important and distinguished endeavour from working with groups, individuals, and even from working with a parent–child dyad. This practice, where art-based interventions were developed and informed by current evidence-based practice, expressive sex therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT, offers specific art therapy considerations and practice descriptions intended to support the relational bond. Specifically, after offering a context and rational for the clinical approach referencing significant literature, illustrations of (1) the use of art to assess couples’ needs, (2) exploring sexual attitudes, histories, and desires, (3) assessing challenges and sensitivities, (4) understanding attachment injury and supporting reconciliation, and (5) responding to discrepancy in needs, desires or expressions are discussed as key aspects. The need for specific professional training and education for effectively working with couples, as well as implications for research and conclusions then follows.

中文翻译：

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夫妻艺术治疗：将艺术治疗实践与性治疗和情感集中治疗相结合

摘要 本文强调了夫妻艺术治疗的好处，将性治疗和情绪聚焦治疗 (EFT) 结合起来，并说明了使用创造性和表达性工具来独特地评估和培养关系和亲密关系。虽然艺术治疗师长期以来一直在系统性和创造性的框架下工作，但之前的艺术治疗研究探索了依恋或二元艺术制作，并没有经常探索其在夫妻治疗中的应用。然而，从临床角度来看，艺术治疗干预的轶事说明夫妻致力于亲密关系和关系问题以及（非艺术治疗）夫妻治疗模式的不断发展，例如 EFT 和性治疗，支持艺术治疗的潜在有用性夫妇。因此，本文 首先介绍夫妻艺术治疗的理论前提，提供干预实例，然后讨论准备与夫妻合作或研究此类干预的艺术治疗师的注意事项。简明语言总结 在治疗中支持夫妻是一项重要而杰出的努力，与与团体、个人合作，甚至与亲子合作的合作不同。在这种实践中，基于艺术的干预是通过当前的循证实践、表达性性治疗和情绪聚焦疗法 (EFT，提供旨在支持关系纽带的特定艺术治疗考虑和实践描述而开发和告知的。具体来说，在提供背景之后参考重要文献的临床方法的合理性和合理性，说明 (1) 使用艺术来评估夫妻的需求，(2) 探索性态度、历史和欲望，(3) 评估挑战和敏感性，(4) 理解依恋伤害和支持和解，以及 (5) 应对需求、欲望或表达的差异作为关键方面进行讨论。有效地与夫妻合作需要特定的专业培训和教育，以及对研究和结论的影响。