Strengthening the Sense of Connectedness: Art Therapy for Older Adults With Severe Mental Illness

Abstract

This research, conducted as part of the Kott Gerontology Scholarship project, explores an art therapy intern’s sessions with geriatric patients with severe mental illness at Ascension Alexian Behavioral Health Hospital (AABBH) in Illinois. Using an art-based autoethnographic and collective narrative inquiry approach, it examines the therapist’s lived experience and patient interactions within the broader sociocultural context of aging, mental illness, and connectedness. Self-reflective data and clinical observations were collected and analyzed through emotional and descriptive coding. The findings of the study are: 1) Following the Crack, 2) Locating Patients in the Position of Storyteller, and 3) Creating Together. This study highlights connectedness, agency, power dynamics, and ethical considerations in geriatric art therapy.

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