Boundaries In Art Therapy

Introduction:
Boundaries in Art Therapy are for me the most important aspects of the Art Therapy setting. This essay will be in three sections, each one exploring boundaries from my own different views. I will begin by exploring my own experiences focusing on a session we have previously done on play therapy. This will focus on how I felt taking the role of client and therapist, I will also speak about specific boundaries such as; language, space, and time. I will not only explore the boundaries that are set up within a therapeutic space but also the boundaries that a client has within themselves and the boundaries that the therapist has.

My Experiences:
Throughout this course, we have been provided with many different settings and roles in art therapy to work with. The one that has struck me the most is play therapy and how the boundaries play such a major role. Time and location are crucial factors in setting up boundaries, having a specific place and time allows us to set up a secure space, a contained environment in which to work. Using the same toys can also be important as something new can put a client off track unless an item has been requested by the client that is of great importance or holds high emotional value.
Taking the place of the client for me was therapeutic but at times it made me feel very uncomfortable, having someone watching over me in such a small space and speaking to me in a nondirective manner unnerved me somewhat and I found it very hard to adjust to at the beginning. Whilst being the therapist was not as complicated, I found it very to be rather interesting. Having to be aware your wording when you’re describing what your client is doing, for example, you can’t put a name on anything because even though for us a doll is a doll to a client it could be an