On Ethics in Practice: The use of client narratives and creative outputs in community and Not-for-Profit art therapy settings

Abstract

Across 15 years of professional engagement in art therapy within homelessness, family violence and public and community mental health services in Victoria, Australia, I have repeatedly encountered organisational requests to procure client narratives and creative outputs from those accessing therapeutic programs. From art works to personal stories and more, these requests typically stem from institutional imperatives to evaluate service efficacy, substantiate program legitimacy, promote organisational services and secure ongoing funding—a process well-documented in the literature on community-based interventions (Gilroy, 2006; Rossi et al., 2019). Such expectations necessitate the provision of concrete evidence, including client stories, artworks and testimonials, so as to demonstrate measurable outcomes. However, this practice often foregrounds profound ethical tensions for art therapists, particularly regarding the authenticity of informed consent, the dynamics of power within therapeutic relationships and the potential long-term ramifications of disseminating personal material as circumstances change and evolve over a lifetime.