The treatment of aggression using arts therapies in forensic psychiatry: Results of a qualitative inquiry

The article describes the body of knowledge of arts therapies in forensic psychiatry based on recent practice, theory and research. The first part gives an overview of observational details, interventions, effects and rationales of drama therapy, music therapy, art therapy and dance-movement therapy in general and more specifically in the Netherlands. It shows that arts therapies can help to decrease recidivism. In the second part the results are presented of a qualitative naturalistic inquiry with 31 experienced arts therapists working in 12 institutions in the Netherlands and Germany. The arts therapists have been involved by means of semi-structured questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. Their implicit knowledge about indications, goals, interventions, effects and rationales have been compared and integrated into consensus-based treatment methods. The research reflects the Dutch tradition where all arts therapies are developed and researched within the same methodological formats. The results of one of the problem areas that have been researched, destructive aggression, are presented. Finally a comparison has been made between all arts therapies for the treatment of destructive aggression.