ABSTRACT

Background

An account of how one Art Therapy training course links information about inequalities with the theory of intersectionality. In trying to understand intersectionality, the course community questions how clients and therapists respond to and experience health inequalities and discrimination. For both, there may be the pain of being ‘othered’ and the effects of unconscious privilege. Nevertheless, there are examples to be celebrated of how some people manage to use their identity in moving forward.

Context

Bizarrely, how identities link to socio-political conditions is not readily acknowledged within therapy professions. The focus of therapy has tended to stay on the inner world. Also, since the end of the second world war, there has been a gradual decoupling of political approaches concerned with social justice and the redistribution of resources and political approaches concerned with identity recognition.

Approaches

When health inequalities and identity issues became sharply visible during the Covid 19 pandemic, the profession responded with adaptations to its educational and therapeutic work. It is possible to see how clients, students, art therapists and colleagues adapt, consult and collaborate. The paper provides descriptions of students' adapted and collaborative practice.

Outcomes, conclusions and implications for research

The use of culture, art and identity-aware supervision in art therapy are ways of developing our understanding of health inequalities and intersecting identities. The research implications for Art Therapy are that generic knowledge of research about discrimination and glaring health inequalities is a valuable foundation for research in our discipline.

Plain-language summary

This paper discusses how one Art Therapy training course links information about health and social inequalities with ideas about intersecting identities. The course community explores and questions how clients and therapists experience health inequalities and discrimination. There are discussions about the pain of feeling unwanted and the response of people who are not conscious of their inherited privileges simply because they are born into specific societal structures. Whilst recognising that feelings about identity may be painful and a source of shame, the course also considers how it is that some people manage to acknowledge and use self-reflection about their less privileged identities in moving forward.

It is strange how the effects of social and health inequalities are rarely acknowledged within psychological disciplines, including art therapy. That seems to be because the focus of therapy has tended to stay on the inner world. Also, since the end of the second world war, there has been a gradual shift in political approaches concerned with social justice and the redistribution of resources and political approaches concerned with identity recognition. When existing health inequalities and identity issues became sharply visible during the Covid 19 pandemic (the Health Foundation, 2020) the profession responded with adaptations that took its educational and therapeutic work online.

There is hope because it is increasingly possible to see how clients, students, art therapists and colleagues consult one another and collaborate over adaptations in therapeutic approaches. The paper provides descriptions of some adapted student practices from placements. The use of culture and art, together with supervision in art therapy, are ways of developing our understanding of health inequalities and our intersecting identities. Nevertheless, the pace of social and cultural change can be slow, sometimes moving forward and sometimes backwards.

The research implications for the Arts Therapies are that broad knowledge of research about discrimination and glaring health inequalities is valuable in the push for change. Also, research from other disciplines is often the foundation on which the research contribution of the Arts Therapies in this area and others can be built.

中文翻译：

---

艺术治疗教育回应：将不平等与交叉身份联系起来

摘要

背景

讲述艺术治疗培训课程如何将不平等信息与交叉理论联系起来。在试图理解交叉性的过程中，课程社区质疑客户和治疗师如何应对和经历健康不平等和歧视。对于两者来说，可能都会有被“异己”的痛苦和无意识特权的影响。尽管如此，还是有一些值得庆祝的例子，说明一些人如何利用自己的身份前进。

语境

奇怪的是，在治疗行业中，身份如何与社会政治条件联系起来并没有得到认可。治疗的重点往往停留在内心世界。此外，自第二次世界大战结束以来，涉及社会正义的政治方法和涉及身份识别的资源重新分配的政治方法逐渐脱钩。

方法

当健康不平等和身份问题在 Covid 19 大流行期间变得更加明显时，该行业的反应是调整其教育和治疗工作。可以看到客户、学生、艺术治疗师和同事如何适应、咨询和合作。本文描述了学生的适应和协作实践。

结果、结论和对研究的影响

在艺术治疗中使用文化、艺术和身份意识监督是加深我们对健康不平等和交叉身份理解的方法。艺术治疗的研究意义在于，有关歧视和明显的健康不平等的研究的一般知识是我们学科研究的宝贵基础。

通俗易懂的语言总结

本文讨论了艺术治疗培训课程如何将有关健康和社会不平等的信息与有关交叉身份的想法联系起来。课程社区探讨并质疑客户和治疗师如何经历健康不平等和歧视。有人讨论了感觉不受欢迎的痛苦，以及那些仅仅因为出生在特定的社会结构中而没有意识到自己继承的特权的人的反应。虽然认识到对身份的感受可能是痛苦的，也是羞耻的根源，但该课程还考虑了一些人如何设法承认并自我反省自己的弱势身份，以继续前进。

奇怪的是，在包括艺术治疗在内的心理学学科中，社会和健康不平等的影响很少得到承认。这似乎是因为治疗的重点往往停留在内心世界。此外，自第二次世界大战结束以来，有关社会正义和资源重新分配的政治方针以及有关身份识别的政治方针逐渐发生转变。当现有的健康不平等和身份问题在 Covid 19 大流行期间变得更加明显时（健康基金会，2020），该行业做出了回应，将其教育和治疗工作转移到网上。

希望是存在的，因为越来越有可能看到客户、学生、艺术治疗师和同事如何相互协商并就治疗方法的调整进行合作。本文描述了一些根据实习进行调整的学生实践。文化和艺术的运用以及艺术治疗的监督是加深我们对健康不平等和交叉身份的理解的方法。然而，社会和文化变革的步伐可能很缓慢，有时前进，有时倒退。

对艺术疗法的研究意义在于，关于歧视和明显的健康不平等的广泛研究知识对于推动变革是有价值的。此外，其他学科的研究通常是艺术治疗在该领域和其他领域的研究贡献的基础。