Date of Award

Spring 4-2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

EVMS School of Health Professions

Program/Concentration

Art Therapy & Counseling

Abstract

The sibling relationship is said to be the longest relationship most individuals will share; therefore, it is surprising to see that most sibling research has been conducted within the confines of family studies with few studies focusing solely on the children’s bond with each another. Because the majority of the United States’ population has at least one sibling, this is a topic that calls for further research. Studies have shown that the quality of a relationship between siblings has the ability to influence individual growth, the sibling bond, social skills, self-esteem, depression, and aggression. However, when observing or conducting interventions with children, research has found that creative therapies, such as art therapy, are often effective since children’s language skills may not yet be fully developed. This observational case study examined the sibling relationship of two sisters from Southeastern Virginia. Over the course of six one-hour sessions, the art therapist observed the girls’ collaborative interactions while they worked on various art projects. During the six sessions, there were patterns of behavior observed in both siblings that were congruent with previous research findings. Based on the observational findings, there are several implications for future research focusing on siblings and art therapy, as well as implications for art therapy practice.

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In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).

DOI

10.25777/r67m-yq46

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Art Therapy Commons

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