Using Art Therapy With Grieving Adolescents Through Telehealth: A Critical Review of the Literature

Grief is an inevitable part of the human experience. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, art therapists across the world were abruptly forced to adapt their services to an online model, most with little to no training on how to do so. Adolescents experienced death of loves ones and trauma at colossal rates. Legal and ethical issues arose as art therapists blindly began navigating this new terrain all while maintaining client caseloads. This literature review examines the strengths and limitations of the rising use of art therapy through telehealth with grieving adolescents. A search for literature on using art therapy with grieving adolescents through telehealth was conducted using online databases from Lesley University, Google Scholar, and University of Massachusetts Lowell. In my limited findings, it was suggested that grief is not linear and, if left unprocessed, can lead to a multitude of mental health concerns. Art therapy is often used with grieving adolescents due to its nonverbal processes, stimulation of creative processes, active shaping abilities, and sensory experiences. Studies have shown art therapists successfully created online art therapy directives in group as well as individual settings. While online art therapy poses its own set of frameworks, ethical standards, and practices different from traditional in-person art therapy, the future of online art therapy remains bright