de Witte et al. - From Therapeutic Factors to Mechanisms of Change in the Creative Arts Therapies
De Witte, M., Orkibi, H., Zarate, R., Karkou, V., Sajnani, N., Malhotra, B., Tin Hung Ho, R, Kaimal, G., Baker, F. A., & Koch, S. C. (2021). From therapeutic factors to mechanisms of change in the creative arts therapies: A scoping review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12: 2525.
Empirical studies in the creative arts therapies (CATs), such as art therapy, dance/movement therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, psychodrama, and poetry/bibliotherapy, have shown significant growth in the past decade. These studies have documented positive effects on various psychological and physiological outcomes, including stress, trauma, depression, anxiety, and pain. However, the therapeutic factors and mechanisms contributing to these positive effects have yet to be fully understood.
To address this gap, the researchers conducted a scoping review of 67 studies to identify therapeutic factors unique to each CAT discipline, common factors shared by CATs, and generic factors present in all psychotherapy approaches. The researchers propose a framework consisting of 19 domains of therapeutic factors. Three of these domains solely comprised elements unique to CATs: "embodiment," which emphasises the embodiment of emotions and experiences through creative expression; "concretisation," which involves making abstract thoughts and feelings more tangible through art forms; and "symbolism and metaphors," which explores the use of symbols and metaphors in creative processes.
The review also clarifies the terminology used in change process research within CATs. Furthermore, the findings have implications for future research, clinical practice, and CATs education, as they shed light on the therapeutic elements contributing to the positive outcomes observed in CATs interventions.
de Witte et al. “From therapeutic factors to mechanisms of change in the creative arts therapies: A scoping review”