Inter-cultural research in Art Therapy
The Inter-Cultural research package has been developed by two UK based Art Therapists; Nathan Rendell and Gary Nash; the project is being coordinated through the South London Art Therapy Practice and is financially supported by the Art Therapy Trust UK.
The initial field research in 2005/06 is being carried out in Tamil Nadu, South India; the information which will be generated will enable a cultural exchange of social, psychological and evidence based experience which will be mutually beneficial in considering the use of art therapy in non-western cultures and in the application of culturally sensitive psychological interventions in multi-cultural settings in the west.
The progress, outcomes and developments within the course of this research project will be available through the web site links and through workshops and seminars in Tamil Nadu and London in 2006; see Courses link page at
www.arthpractice.com
January 2006 - Initial visits
During November and December I scheduled in a number of professional visits to mental health services in the area; my research showed four facilities in the local vicinity: two State hospitals, one private clinic, and one voluntary sector project. My visits and the resulting data contained two very important themes; 1) a great interest in art therapy and the research package, and 2) a vast cultural gap between researcher and subject. The first point is great and I will build on the contacts that I have initially made with professors, consultants and institutions over the coming months; the second point has presented a number of factors which will influence the progress of the research and initially presents complexities and difficulties for the researcher and research process as planned.
Art Therapy Research ToolKit
Friday 2nd December:
This week has seen several developments; firstly the completion of the Research ToolKit which consists of questionnaire formats for professionals and clients involved in the study, background and referral information, and reference to ethics and the consent form. Presentation of this package will be made to the British Association of Art Therapists - BAAT on MOnday 5th December via the Art Therapy Practitioners Research Network - ATPRN, where we hope to establish links and promote the project.
Secondly, I have made several professional visits to psychiactric institutions in Pondycherry, meeting some very dedicated health care professionals who have expressed an interest in the research proposal and also making links to other services in Tamil Nadu. One specific link is to a medical college psychiatrist who has written on the subject of rural healing practices in Adult Mental Health Care.
Nov 4th:
An issue that has been raised in the Mental Health Service meetings is one relating to professional qualifications, CV and licence to practice in India. This is an issue that I looked into last year; BAAT’s position is that there is no Indian equivalent of BAAT and so questions regarding the legal mandate to practice will need to be raised with the Indian Health Department. I will begin enquiries locally through the Regional Mental Health Council and through the Institute of Mental Health (Chennai).
The political foundation on which we are licenced to practice have been established and assured in the West over many years of negotiations with the Department of Health through the Health Professions Council, previously the Council for Professions Allied to Medicine. However, taking one’s skills, experience and qualifications to another part of the world does not transfer with them the right to practice. The health standards, ethics and systems of clinical responsibility for the practice of art therapy have not been established in India and could well take years to do so.
Reminds me of the recent article by Solomon, G (Inscape 2005 vol.1.) which describes the experience of UK trained art therapists returning to South Africa where they have to register with the Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA), several therapists experienced refusal of registration with a warning of prosecution if they did attempt to practice. Registration guidelines were not available, neither were the opportunities or resources to qualify in South Africa resulting in an irresolvable dilemma for art therapy practitioners.
Hindu Times 23rd Oct 05
Vandana Gopihumar founded the Banyan project in 1993 - a transit care centre for homeless with mental illness and linked with the Institute of Mental Health writes the following:
The common factor is that people have a mental health issue to deal with, coupled with homelessness, alcoholism, utter poverty, abuse, social inequality, stigma or a combination of all. Stigma and myths associated with mental illness, lack of facilities and the nature of illness are problems which are compounded by homelessness.
Access to care and support is minimal among the lower socio-economic groups. In most rural areas, the problem is often treated more as a spiritual and less as a psychological issue.
Inter-Cultural Research Project in Tamil Nadu, India.
ART THERAPY INTER-CULTURAL RESEARCH PROJECT
Phase one: Field Research in Tamil Nadu, South India
Following my visit in January 2005 I am now planning to return to South India for a six month sabbatical from October 2005 to March 2006. During this time I plan to:
· develop the contacts which I made in Chennai, Pondicherry, and Bangalore with key mental health providers in social and health care
· contribute to the work of the mental health team in Auroville
· Assist with the work of the village action project which is rebuilding communities following the Tsunami last December
· Provide social work teaching and art therapy interventions where appropriate
· Develop links, networks and research opportunities which will be of mutual benefit to agencies working in India and the UK
I plan to stay in the rural Tamil village of Periyarmudaliarchavadi which is located on the coast road 6km from Pondicherry. This village is close to the villages of Kuilapalayam, Edayanchavadi and Bommayapalayam. The four villages will provide the daily contacts and social networks and my visits/voluntary work will be coordinated through the Village Action Group which manages a range of health, education and social projects across 20 village communities.
Edayanchavadi is within the international township zone of Auroville which is of specific interest due to its interface between Eastern and Western modes of research and analysis of building communities in rural India; I have been invited to join the mental health team which is based in this region. I hope to make use of my skills and experience in social work interventions, teaching and art therapy through supervised work within the team.
I am aware that the current social complexities which have been compounded by the Tsunami has led to an increase in visible alcohol use in those communities which were most affected by the trauma, loss of homes, lives and livelihood. I hope to be able to contribute the knowledge and benefit of the theories, methods and approaches which our organisation has developed over the years in working with dual diagnosis and homelessness in West London.
Following my previous visit I have gained:
· An overview of mental health service provision
· An understanding of key mental health legislation and rights/access to services
· An understanding of the infrastructure of statutory services and how they are delivered in rural India
· Mapping of where services are located and how they are accessed by rural communities.
I have also developed my literary research by keeping in touch through the web based information sites in South India; accessing the research web networks and accessing information regarding the legal framework, local codes of practice and the cultural heritage of the Ayurvedic health system used in the rural South.
The project will feed into my London based work setting through the training sessions and workshops which I will organise on my return and which will look at comparative practice. The research process, review and outcomes will be tracked through a series of seminars and workshops in India and UK with a final report and presentation at the Annual Art Therapy Trust Lecture in March 2007.
Gary Nash. October 2005
