Abstract
The theory and practice of cross-cultural/multicultural counseling and art/expressive therapies were reviewed in order to develop and guide the current study. The current art therapist implemented an exploratory, qualitative, ethnographic design examining art therapy with four students in an educational institution in Lima, Peru. The students had varying diagnoses (suspected Asperger’s syndrome, suspected Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Down’s syndrome, and moderate to severe Mental Retardation). The current art therapist led group art therapy sessions, maintained field notes, and conducted unstructured interviews with a school teacher over the course of four months. Upon completion, the current art therapist reviewed the field notes and interviews in order to develop themes concerning strategies and insights for practicing culturally responsible therapy. Twenty-two themes emerged from the data. The current art therapist divided the themes into four major categories according to layers of cultural identity: national culture, culture of work environment, childhood culture, and individual culture. After coding, analyzing, and reflecting upon the findings, the current researcher developed a visual model of how to consider culture within the therapeutic process. The proposed Culturally Responsible Therapy model (CRT) may help therapists to conceptualize clients as having a multitude of fluid, dynamic cultural strata including (but not limited to): global culture, national culture, culture of work environment, generational/age culture, and individual culture. Conceptualizing culture as a series of evolving layers may help therapists look deeper into a client and his or her particular situation in order to practice more culturally responsible, aware, and sensitive therapy. The current art therapist hypothesized that integrating both analytical and intuitive processes within the therapist-client relationship will lead to more culturally responsible, ethical, and effective counseling.
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