Abstract

This heuristic study is an exploration of an art therapy student's practicum experience working with ill children and their siblings in their homes. Pragmatic issues include isolation, therapist safety and challenges of travelling, scheduling, and providing art materials. Therapeutic issues are difficulties collecting information from busy parents, acclimating to the overwhelming physical and emotional space, and tolerating chaos in the therapy environment. The emotional effect of seeing medical paraphernalia in the home, as well as issues surrounding privacy, instruction, and discipline are also explored, as are the therapeutic frame, accepting food and gifts, and the role of language in the therapy. Balancing family focus with client focus, interacting with parents, countertransference reactions to the home environment, client secrecy, and termination issues were also relevant. Finally, the author describes in detail her emotional and philosophical reaction to the death of a client, and explores the meaning of home.