Natalia Gomez Carlier
ABSTRACT
Brief report: An Art Therapy Pilot Dyadic (parent/caregiver and child) Telehealth for children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Natalia Gomez Carlier
ATIC Psychological and Counseling Center, Dubai
Sara Powell
ATIC Psychological and Counseling Center, Dubai
Due to COVID-19 safety protocols, the vulnerable within our community had limited access to resources. Children of determination have encountered disruption to therapeutic services especially from March 2020 to November 2020. The pilot attempted to address question(s) of feasibility in maintaining services, preventing mental health and deterioration of symptoms and behaviour, and in increasing access to resources for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The research looked to question, if online services could substitute in-person services with this population, and to determine plausibility of online group art therapy services for children and their caregivers.
The impact of COVID-19 on mental health is still unclear; early published reports indicate the onset of moderate to severe depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress. Potentially having a prolonged psychological impact on some individuals (Qiu et al., 2020). Overall, there is a lack of literature on art therapy in the region, and more so for online intervention, specifically in support of ASD during the pandemic.
ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs a person's ability to communicate, socialize, and respond to certain stimuli within environments. Parents, pediatricians, and nurseries typically identify concerns that prompt diagnosis, ideally by age 3; prevalence is higher in males than females (Elsabbagh et al., 2012). ASD is recognized by delayed language development, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, impacting imagination, and difficulty with social interaction (Rapin & Dunn, 1997).
Overall, the Middle East has had relatively little published research on ASD etiology, although statistics indicate that ASD affects 1 in 146 births in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (Virolainen, 2020). Genetic linkage such as kinship and multiparity is culturally and regionally common. Epidemiological research into autism in the UAE is relatively new. The prevalence of autism likely remains underdetermined as many cases of autism potentially go undiagnosed within the community due to stigma and lack of awareness; mild cases can be unnoticed, and delayed diagnoses might result from a lack of focus or training in the area of early intervention (Salhia et al., 2014). It is, therefore, crucial that there is a continuation of support without disruption.
Art Therapy is an integrative mental health profession that engages participants with the creative process, active art-making, and integrated psychological theory within the context of a therapeutic relationship (American Art Therapy Association, 2020). Art psychotherapists have a minimum of a master's degree in art psychotherapy with clinical practice and supervised experience before gaining professional registration, a rigorous process. Children with autism are generally referred to art therapy specifically in the West (Martin, 2009; Teeuw, 2011) to support coping with communication challenges, behaviour, and low self-esteem (Schweizer et al., 2014; Schweizer et al., 2017). Research demonstrates that children with autism are expected to benefit from a non-verbal treatment such as art therapy, through sensory exploration, looking at, and shaping art materials to facilitate expression (Malchiodi, 2003; Rubin, 2001; Schweizer et al., 2009). This pilot study explores if conducting art therapy online would be beneficial and fill the gap when in-person services are not possible.
References available upon request.
BIO
NATALIA GOMEZ CARLIER earned her degree in psychology from Universidad de Los Andes, a master's in art therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is currently a Ph.D. student of Transpersonal Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies. She is also a Registered Board-Certified Art Therapist with the American Art Therapy Association. Natalia was a founder and President of the Colombian Art Therapy Association, taught at Universities, and frequently presented at International Mental Health Conferences. She has practiced as a psychotherapist for more than 20 years in Bogota, Chicago, New York, Muscat, and Dubai. In psychotherapy, Natalia incorporates Psychodynamic, CBT, Gestalt, Brief Therapy, Jungian Therapy, Transpersonal, Mindfulness, and other modalities, and the uniqueness of each individual orients therapy. She speaks English and Spanish fluently and is a 300HR Jivamukti Yoga Teacher.
SARA POWELL, is the Director and founder of ATIC Psychological and Counselling Centre. She is from the UK, a Third Culture Kid, growing up in the Gulf. She is an Art Psychotherapist and is registered with the Health Care Profession Council (HCPC) UK and is a member of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). Sara has over 11 years clinical experience and has provided psychotherapy to children, adolescents, adults, families, and has facilitated a variety of groups and programs. Sara is passionate in supporting women, specializing in child and adolescent related disorders and has worked extensively with people of determination and who are non-verbal. Sara is a mother to a toddler and during her pregnancy observed a need for perinatal and postnatal mental health as well as an overall lack of early intervention services available for below 6 years primarily, as such Sara spearheaded the recent opening of ATIC’s Early Intervention and Child Development branch of services. Sara has overseen numerous projects consulting Government agencies in Singapore and UAE (in forensic settings, with addiction as well as in medical settings, and with vulnerable children and young people). Sara is a published author and has presented at many conferences regionally and internationally.