The purpose of this study was to develop a group counseling program using art therapy with family violence victims and to examine its effectiveness on their self-esteem and on communication style. The development of this group program was based on the...
The purpose of this study was to develop a group counseling program using art therapy with family violence victims and to examine its effectiveness on their self-esteem and on communication style. The development of this group program was based on the Satir family therapy theory and the art therapy framework. This program was consisted of nine sessions.
The participants of this study were six women who have experienced physical violence from their present and/or former husband and wanted to participate in this program, while the control group members were seven women who experienced physical violence but did not want to participate in this program. The pretest result showed that there were no significant difference in the level of physical violence between the two groups of women. The effectiveness of this program was evaluated by using the pretest and posttest control design. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses methods were used for evaluating the effectiveness of the program. For quantitative analyses, self-esteem, depression, and communication styles were measured, while for qualitative analyses, KHTP was used.
The major findings of this research were as follows. First, it was found that the Satir group program using art therapy technique improved the self-esteem of female family violence victims, while the program was also found to be effective in decreasing the degree of depression of the participants.
Second, this research showed that the program partly improved the congruent communication style, while it was not found to be effective in decreasing the dysfunctional communication style.
Finally, self-concept and interpersonal relationship expressed on KHTP were found to be positively changed after participating this program. Furthermore, the analysis of session evaluation scale showed that the participants were very satisfied with this program.