10/12/2024
Today I was asked by a support coordinator if I would be doing any art therapy work as a support worker! This was an easy NO for me but I know that in the coming months there will be innumerable arts therapists who will face this question. There will be many who, for financial reasons or their career stage will have to consider or even accept these offers.
Clinically this worries me on a number of fronts, particularly as it pertains to boundaries.
Many psychosocial NDIS clients have extraordinary complex and traumatic histories which have shaped their way of relating to themselves and others. When working with clients with complex internal systems, clear boundaries and therapist integrity are essential for the safety of the client and the efficacy of the relationship.
I feel really concerned that less experienced art therapists may agree to long sessions, being paid as a support worker when providing therapeutic services or other murky unclear positions.
Boundary shifts and slips like that will inevitably lead to clients feeling unsafe in intangible ways and therapeutic relationships becoming complicated in unpredictable and unforeseeable ways.
If you find yourself considering an offer to see your art therapy clients in a support worker role I urge you to find a supervisor experienced in long term therapy to talk your decision through with.
