Body Mapping in a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program: Eliciting New Identity and Experience

Arts-based approaches have not been widely used in the drug and alcohol treatment sector. In this study, we examined the utility of the arts-based method of Body Mapping in an Australian residential treatment centre. Two workshops were held to explore young people’s strengths and support networks in...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sophia Macken, Sally Nathan, Michelle Jersky, Katherine M. Boydell, Alexandra Gibson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
Series:International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/9/4942
Description
Summary:Arts-based approaches have not been widely used in the drug and alcohol treatment sector. In this study, we examined the utility of the arts-based method of Body Mapping in an Australian residential treatment centre. Two workshops were held to explore young people’s strengths and support networks in order to improve understandings of young people’s lives, identities and experiences of treatment. Semi-structured follow-up interviews were conducted and triangulated with observational notes and staff interviews. We identified four major themes: engaging through art; removing the mask; revealing strengths; and a sense of achievement. Overall, this study highlighted the value of Body Mapping as an approach to engage with young people, providing rich in-depth data about their lived experiences, including in the alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment context.
ISSN:1661-7827
1660-4601