The Efficacy of Expressive Arts Therapy in the Creation of Catharsis in Counselling

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the patterns of catharsis whilst using expressive arts in group counseling. A qualitative phenomenological research design was used. Seven adolescent girls who were involved in delinquency took part in the study. Triangulation from a variety of sources, i.e., indepth interviews, observations and analysis of documents were utilized. The results indicated that the elements of catharsis are one of a therapeutic alliance that emerged while using expressive arts therapy. Most of the subjects reported that they felt relief, their emotions were gradually stable and reduce stress.