Development of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Informed Art Therapy Method for Adults with Psychiatric Diagnoses in a Partial Hospitalization Program

Mindfulness based approaches as well as alternative forms of treatment have widely been introduced into the partial hospitalization setting. While the inclusion of art therapy allows individuals to engaged with a tactile experience, DBT and mindfulness informs the individual of concrete skills and coping strategies to be directly applied in the creative space. There has been ample research conducted on the use of DBT in a partial hospital setting, however there is a lack of research on the inclusion of DBT informed art therapy in the same setting. However, small scale phenomenological research has been conducted on the effectiveness of DBT informed art therapy. These studies provide a unique glimpse into the usefulness of integrating both approaches to promote skill acquisition and generalization, practice and role play of skills in a safe therapeutic environment, and authentic self - expression. In addition, empirical research has been conducted on the usefulness of mindfulness and meditation in managing emotions and mental states. These studies suggest that learning to consciously and mindfully control ones breath during meditation, is instrumental in the mastery of both mind and emotions. To contribute to the growing research conducted on DBT informed art therapy, this writer has developed a four group art therapy and DBT skills protocol specific for the partial hospital setting. The group notes, participation, and success seen during their 10-day treatment suggests there are benefits to be explored in the combination of DBT and art therapy in partial hospitalization treatment