Individual Sessions | Children & Adolescents
Eveleen will provide an initial consultation with the parents/guardians or possible third party to assess the needs for the young person. An intake interview is carried out with the parents/guardians over the phone or in person.
The initial art therapy session will provide the young person with a sense of whether art therapy is for them and allows them to understand the process better.
Eveleen’s primary relationship will be with the child or young person, she will explain what has been recommended in the intake interview with the parents/guardians in an age appropriate manner. All communication is open with the young person to ensure that their therapeutic experience is honest, transparent and allows for genuine connection.
Sessions with children and adolescents are between 45 and 50 minutes long, depending on the needs of the client. Six sessions are carried out as introductory sessions, after which there is space for a review with the parents/guardian and young person. At that point the child/young person will have decided what parts if any they would like to share and parents/ guardians and will also have an opportunity to share their perspective. A collective decision can then be made on how to proceed.
It is important that the sessions are held at the same time
every week. Continuity is essential in building up a trusting therapeutic
relationship. Adequate notice of when the therapy process will end will be
prioritised.
Art Therapy sessions are fully confidential. Confidentiality is guaranteed
in all work carried out during sessions, this includes art works that are
created within the sessions. The confidentiality agreement is between the
art therapist and client (i.e. the child/young person). All art-works
created are stored securely for the duration of the sessions until the end
of therapy. Information will not be shared unless there are specific safety
concerns.
There are 4 exceptions to this:
- Compliance with the law – information may be shared and gathered in cases where there are child protection issues, with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, where there is disclosure of criminal intent, where there is a legal requirement or court order.
- Eveleen attends regular supervision (as per the IACAT code of ethics), where clients work may be discussed in order to be able to offer the best possible service. The client will not be personally identified during this process. The supervisor shares the same commitment to confidentiality as the therapist.
- Information pertaining to the therapy and engagement with parents/guardians, with others in situations where support can be generated for the client and their family.
- In situations of risk to physical harm from self or others or is a danger to others.
Consent is needed from both parents/guardians this is due to the fact that art therapy is a mental health intervention. In situations where one parent is not available to give consent, best effort to contact the parent to provide them with an opportunity for them to understand the process of consent will be made.