Art therapy for mental health professionals: a feasibility study

Background Mental healthcare workers can experience burnout. Art therapy-based group interventions have addressed this for health workers but little research has been done in mental healthcare.Aim This study examined the feasibility of an eight-week art therapy-based group for inpatient mental health workers. The aim was to promote connection with colleagues and participants’ own motivations and values.Method This mixed methods exploratory feasibility study entailed questionnaires measuring professional quality of life, well-being, intention to leave and relational civility pre- and post-intervention, and thematic analysis of participants’ written feedback.Results Six of seven participants stayed in the group. There was a significant increase in average well-being score pre and post each session, and significant improvement in professional quality of life and workplace civility scores pre- to post-intervention. There was no significant improvement in intention to leave or well-being score pre- to post-intervention.Themes were improved mood; reflecting and sharing being both positive and challenging; increased connections with colleagues; exploring thoughts through art; and shift of focus from product to process.Conclusions Feasibility is high with good attendance and engagement, and positive feedback regarding format. Qualitative data concurred with changes in questionnaire scores. Themes linked group experience with these changes.Implications for practice/policy/future research This study adds to research favouring art therapy-based groups to address professional quality of life for healthcare workers and extends this to mental health. Larger studies could investigate further how focussing on process through artmaking might benefit working relationships and patient care.Plain-language summary Mental health workers can experience burnout. Burnout is exhaustion, mental distancing from their work and reduced efficacy, and can result from workplace stress.This study looked at how feasible it is to run an art therapy-based group for staff of a mental health ward.The group ran weekly for eight weeks. It lasted 90 minutes. Group members talked about their professional lives, then made art in response to the discussion. They talked together about the artwork made.Group members filled in questionnaires. After each group, ‘in the moment’ well-being had improved compared to before the group. After all eight groups, group members felt their colleagues were being more civil and their professional lives had improved compared to before. Group members said the changes were due to attending the group. General well-being had not changed and neither had people’s intentions to leave their jobs.Group members answered written questions about group experience and their answers were analysed to identify themes. Group members said that in the group their mood improved. Some people said they had felt more positive in general. Some found it hard to share their thoughts and feelings about work with colleagues, but felt more connected with their colleagues after doing so. All group members used the art to explore thoughts and feelings about their work. Group members started to focus more on the present process rather than worrying about the intended outcome. For some, this involved letting go of perfectionism. At times, this happened outside the group too, in different situations such as feeling able to be with patients in a less task-driven way.Attendance and participation were good, indicating the group was feasible. Art therapy-based groups could be beneficial to other mental health staff and their patients, but more research into the benefits is needed.