What Is Useful? Exploring Art Therapy Interventions When Supporting Couples With Concerns

Art making can support couples in relational crises. This study explored the suitability and utility of the PATd framework, and additional art interventions of relevance for couples counseling. A co-designed qualitative study with ten family counselors showed that specific sessions of PAT and selected interventions were preferred, while the full PATd was too extensive for typical family counseling durations. Based on these findings, a tailored set of Curated Art Therapy Interventions to support Couples (CATcouples) was developed. It includes nine sessions across three phases: introduction/mapping, working, and concluding. Throughout the therapeutic process, couples and therapists collaboratively could choose sessions to engage in, based on their specific needs and concerns. Artmaking remains a valuable tool in therapeutic work with couples.