The need for creative arts therapist to consider their own and clients' spirituality in providing ethical and effective therapeutic care

Abstract

The topic of spirituality has received sparse attention across the creative arts therapy literature. In the editor’s field of music therapy this is probably at least partly due to the worldwide push for professional recognition of the field (Edwards, 2015). However, as other allied professions have increased their awareness of the need for holistic approaches to client care, including recognition of clients’ culture and religious traditions (Roley et al., 2008; Wilson, Forchheimer, Heinemann, Warren, & McCullumsmith, 2016), spirituality has become a subject area that creative arts therapists have felt more confident to include in their case and research reports. <br/> Definitions of spirituality usually reference the faith and religious dimensions of a person’s life but also the sense or feeling of being at peace along with a relationship to, or experience of, something beyond the material world (Oxford, 2017). According to these dictionary definitions human relationships can also be described as having spiritual dimensions.