The image, mentalisation and group art psychotherapy

This article presents a pilot project of a combined treatment programme to treat clients with personality disorder. It consisted of an art psychotherapy group alongside individual verbal psychotherapy sessions. A description of the first two art therapy group sessions is provided. The clinical material is informed by theoretical concepts that draw together attachment theory and recent discoveries in neuroscience. In particular the capacity to ‘mentalise’ is central to thinking about the role of the image within art therapy. Mentalisation is seen as the capacity to perceive and understand self and others in terms of mental states. Significant interpersonal conflict associated with personality disorder, represents failure of mentalisation, and examples are presented here. The article draws on the contemporary work of Bateman and Fonagy in treating people with personality disorder. Outcome measures used to evaluate the project are briefly presented.