Abstract

This research proposes a short-term art therapy treatment program that aims to address poor attachment between substance-abusing mothers and their children. Although there
are a number of studies linking impoverished attachment patterns to intergenerational psychosocial problems, including continued substance abuse, there are relatively few treatment programs designed to address this issue. There are fewer still within the creative arts therapies that attend to the bond between substance-abusing mothers and their children. This paper proposes a model for a program that combines narrative therapy and art therapy within the framework of attachment theory. For this research project, a short-term art therapy program was developed with a focus on story-making as a means
of relationship-building between substance-abusing mothers and their children, ages 3-6. An exploratory trial program was implemented at a residential rehabilitation centre for
chemically-dependent mothers and their children. Feedback from the mothers and children, in the form of questionnaires and field observations, served as the impetus for the development of the program as presented here.