“God is a painter”: How Jewish Ultra-Orthodox art therapists and clients perceive mental health treatment

By: Podolsky-Krupper C., Goldner L.
Published in: Transcultural Psychiatry
SDGs : SDG 03  |  Units: Social Welfare & Health Sciences  | Time: 2021 |  Link
Description: The current study examined the ways in which 14 art therapists and adult clients from the Ultra-Orthodox sector in Israe l perceive mental health and mental health treatment. Semi-structured interviews were subjected to an interpretative phenomenological analysis to capture the meaning ascribed to the treatment and its challenges. Four themes emerged: the perception of mental health as related to the centrality of functioning, purposefulness, and emotional balance; the specific challenges of therapy, in terms of suspicion regarding treatment and difficulties in establishing intimacy and self-disclosure; the interplay between the worlds of therapy and religion; and the intersection of art and religion. The discussion centers on an interpretation of the findings in light of the ontological typology of individualism versus collectivism. © The Author(s) 2020.