Art therapy with young individuals with sickle cell disease: Understanding the clinical practices, challenges, and barriers

Young individuals with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) risk severe physical complications and psychosocial stressors. Art therapy is a psychosocial resource offered to youth with SCD in several medical settings across the United States. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand art therapy clinical practices with young individuals with SCD in a medical setting through thematic and content analysis. We interviewed 21 art therapists with clinical experience with this population. Data analysis suggests that participants utilize a person-centered approach and consider several factors (e.g., patient assessment, patient-specific factors and potential psychosocial stressors and physical complications) when determining their clinical decisions before and during the art therapy intervention. Clinical goals, art materials, and art therapist engagement mutually influence each other throughout the session. The art therapist remains flexible and adapts their intervention procedures as necessary to meet the in-the-moment needs of the patient. Additionally, data analysis revealed that participants regularly encounter several challenges and barriers related to working with this population and that the race of the art therapist contributes to additional challenges and barriers. This research study serves as an initial step to understanding how art therapists work with young individuals with SCD. Further research involving patients’ voices is necessary to better understand patients’ subjective experiences and the impact of art therapy on young individuals with SCD.