About Dyadic Art Therapy
Dyadic art therapy is a joined up approach to art therapy, involving children and their parents or carers.
The make-up of the dyad varies with different children and different family set-ups. It usually involves the child and an adult with whom the child has a significant and enduring relationship.
Rationale
Art therapists may decide to offer dyadic sessions for a variety of reasons, such as
to observe the relationship between caregiver and child at first hand
to facilitate joined up creative and playful activities between caregiver and child
to enhance caregiving skills
to facilitate reflective discussions between caregiver and child
to work directly with the relationship between the child and caregiver
to help the child to engage and feel safe during the therapy
Mechanisms of change
Joined up dyadic art therapy sessions offer a number of potentially therapeutic opportunities, such as
enhancing caregiver sensitivity, understanding and attunement
enhancing caregiver insight into impact of their own history on their parenting
facilitating joint engagement activities
facilitating reflective (mentalising) conversations between caregiver and child
co-constructing shared narratives
enhancing child’s affect recognition and regulation
Guiding principles
The therapeutic work aims to
be flexible, respecting diversity of family history, culture and individual experience
create links with the present and past, in a historical, developmental and social context
encourage children to expand their ability to recognise their own feelings in the presence of their carers
focus on moments of attunement, when warmth and playfulness emerge is at the heart of the work
promote relationships characterised by both connectedness and autonomy
enhance the carer’s capacity for openness, working with experiences as they occur within the session
develop the carer’s capacity for reflective functioning
address how the carer’s own internal working models are enacted in the relationship with the child
enhance the carer’s sensitivity to the child’s emotional and behavioural signals
include discussions of attachment and emotion regulation
Find out more about how these principles were developed.
Dyadic art therapy client groups
Dyadic art therapy is used in a variety of settings across the country. It may be considered when children have emotional and relational difficulties.
Dyadic art therapy is used with fostered and adopted children as well as children who live with their birth families. It can be used with children with diagnoses such as a learning disability, autism or ADHD.
There are already some rich descriptions of dyadic art therapy with infants and toddlers. This manual will focus on children between the ages of 5 and 15.
Find out more:
Contraindications
A thorough assessment and an appropriate level of preparation with the parents or carers is an important element of dyadic art therapy.
Occasionally during this process, the therapist may decide that the presence of the parent or carer in art therapy sessions will not be helpful for the child, and may even be detrimental.
In such cases a different approach should be sought, and the therapist should assess whether further action, such as safeguarding or signposting, is needed.