Abstract

Running a successful therapy group for children with emotional and behavioural disorders is extremely challenging (Rozum, 2001). Specifically, the rules, limits, and boundaries are often challenged by individuals in a group setting. The therapist must learn to maintain an appropriate balance between structure and flexibility within the therapeutic frame to facilitate each child's feelings of security, safety, and containment, and to maximize the child's creativity and therapeutic growth. The purpose of this research paper is to examine the particular challenges that art therapists and people in similar professions are faced with when working with groups of children with emotional and behavioural disorders. A literature review of emotional and behavioural disorders, group therapy with children, and the therapeutic frame informs the research paper. A case study follows, which investigates the experiences of an art therapy intern working with a group of three children in a day treatment center for children diagnosed with severe disruptive behavioral disorders. The case study explores how an art therapist maintains a therapeutic framework that safely supports and facilitates therapeutic growth and creative freedom, yet manages challenges to the boundaries, limits, and rules that were encountered throughout the course of therapy. This research paper contributes to the dearth of qualitative research and literature that captures the subtle but pertinent nuances of working with children with emotional and behavioural disorders in a group setting