ABSTRACT
This paper addresses innovative art therapy practice for children diagnosed with chronic heart conditions; a number of these children display symptoms of distress, anxiety and anger, but are unable to engage with talking therapies. The chapter describes the experience of three different disciplines, cardiology, liaison psychiatry, and art therapy, who were concerned with the distress found in this portion of the children and collaborated closely to establish an art therapy service to support the children’s adaptation to their illness. Two case studies are presented: the first case, which was instrumental in the development of the approach and eventually led to establishing a Cardiac Art Therapy Clinic, and a further case which was set within the already fully functioning service catering to larger numbers of children with chronic heart disease. Reflecting this approach from its instigation based on a single case to the ensuing development of a specialized service, the viewpoints of the art therapist, the liaison psychiatrist and the consultant paediatric cardiologist, and the children’s and parent’s perspectives are given. The chapter scrutinizes how the children’s psychological needs are entwined with their physical ones, calling for a new, expert and interdisciplinary art therapy service, which in turn stimulated research interest.
