ABSTRACT

Aim

To understand service user and therapist experiences of an outdoor arts therapies group, their views on its benefits and challenges.

Background

There is a lack of systematic research on the effectiveness of outdoor arts therapies. This article presents a systematic, qualitative evaluation of an outdoors arts therapies intervention for adults with mental health problems in the United Kingdom (UK).

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were held with service users and therapists providing the intervention. A thematic analysis was conducted on the interview transcripts.

Results

Key themes identified were: Benefits of Therapy Outdoors, Inclusive Understanding of Creativity and Engagement Challenges and Support. The outdoor setting was found to have a positive effect on group cohesion as well as on mood. Nature was experienced as an active participant in the therapy and this overlaps with an inclusive understanding of what it means to be creative. These findings broadly support the findings of the extant literature.

Implications for practice/policy/future research

Arts therapists should be aware of the distinct therapeutic potential of outdoors arts therapies interventions and need to be creative and flexible in adapting their practice to make it suitable to the outdoor space.

Limitations

This study employs only qualitative methods and lacks quantitative data.

Conclusion

Outdoor arts therapies can have a positive effect on participants’ mental health and wellbeing and that the natural environment plays a significant part in this. An inclusive understanding of creativity supports service users to engage creatively and therapeutically with the environment.

Plain-language summary

The arts therapies are generally provided in indoor settings but in recent years there has been a growth of outdoor provision. This is done in order to make use of the beneficial effects of natural environments, the experience of which becomes a source of sensory, aesthetic and psychological stimulation and thus an active element in the therapy. There is a growing literature on this type of provision but there is a lack of systematic investigation, including regarding provision for adults with mental health problems.

This article reports on a qualitative evaluation of an outdoor arts therapies group for individuals with mental health problems in the UK National Health Service. The group met weekly in a carefully chosen, local green space in the outer zone of a large city. The location and the structure of sessions were designed to enable participants to safely explore personal thoughts and feelings in this public space.

Interviews were conducted with service users and therapists from the group and these were then analysed to elicit themes. The theme Benefits of Therapy Outdoors included the sensory stimulation of the surroundings and how the surroundings prompted participants to look outside themselves as well as evoking positive associations. The theme Inclusive Understanding of Creativity included the use of natural materials and creative responses to the environment being about more than just art making. The theme Engagement Challenges and Support included challenges of ‘bad’ weather and anxieties about travel.

The results of this evaluation broadly confirm the benefits of outdoor arts therapies as they appear in the literature. However, the data come only from people’s testimony, with no quantitative data. The authors recommend that future studies contain some quantitative data.

中文翻译：

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户外艺术治疗小组的定性评估

摘要

目的

了解户外艺术治疗团体的服务使用者和治疗师的体验，以及他们对其好处和挑战的看法。

背景

目前缺乏对户外艺术疗法有效性的系统研究。本文对英国 (UK) 有心理健康问题的成年人的户外艺术治疗干预进行了系统的定性评估。

方法

对提供干预的服务使用者和治疗师进行了半结构化访谈。对访谈记录进行了主题分析。

结果

确定的关键主题是：户外治疗的好处、对创造力的包容性理解以及参与挑战和支持。研究发现，户外环境对团队凝聚力和情绪有积极影响。大自然是治疗的积极参与者，这与对创造力意味着什么的包容性理解重叠。这些发现广泛支持现有文献的发现。

对实践/政策/未来研究的影响

艺术治疗师应该意识到户外艺术治疗干预措施的独特治疗潜力，并且需要创造性和灵活地调整他们的实践，使其适合户外空间。

局限性

本研究仅采用定性方法，缺乏定量数据。

结论

户外艺术疗法可以对参与者的心理健康和福祉产生积极影响，而自然环境在其中发挥着重要作用。对创造力的包容性理解支持服务使用者以创造性和治疗性方式参与环境。

通俗易懂的语言总结

艺术疗法通常在室内提供，但近年来户外提供的情况有所增加。这样做是为了利用自然环境的有益影响，自然环境的体验成为感官、审美和心理刺激的来源，从而成为治疗中的积极因素。关于此类服务的文献越来越多，但缺乏系统的调查，包括针对有心理健康问题的成年人的服务。

本文报告了对英国国家卫生服务中心针对有心理健康问题的个人的户外艺术治疗小组的定性评估。该小组每周在一座大城市外围地区精心挑选的当地绿地举行聚会。会议的地点和结构旨在使参与者能够在这个公共空间中安全地探索个人的想法和感受。

我们对小组中的服务使用者和治疗师进行了访谈，然后对这些访谈进行分析以得出主题。主题“户外治疗的好处”包括周围环境的感官刺激以及周围环境如何促使参与者向外看以及唤起积极的联想。主题对创造力的包容性理解包括天然材料的使用以及对环境的创造性反应，而不仅仅是艺术创作。主题“参与挑战和支持”包括“恶劣”天气的挑战和对旅行的焦虑。

该评估的结果广泛证实了文献中出现的户外艺术疗法的好处。但这些数据仅来自人们的见证，没有量化数据。作者建议未来的研究包含一些定量数据。