[Student Version] Political Cultural Humility: Maintaining Ethical Therapeutic Relationships in Art Therapy (NY)

Politics have always been a significant factor in client wellbeing as social policies determine access to healthcare, assurances of equity, and participation in elections. Within the United States, one of the factors that makes our current times unique is the way in which political opinions and political party affiliations have morphed into political identities. Political identities often do more than just describe perspectives or how one might vote but include which news and social media to follow, who to socialize with, and who to trust. Political polarization threatens democracies on the societal level and disrupts relationships on the interpersonal level. Both clients and art therapists are shaped by these forces. A particular challenge is how to sustain therapeutic alliances across divides – actual or perceived. To uphold the ethical responsibility to treat all clients, art therapists can learn frameworks rooted in cultural humility and integrated with family therapy, systems theories, and civic dialogue processes. By replacing judgment and assumption with curiosity and compassion, art therapists can successfully navigate politics to understand client experiences, maintain secure therapeutic relationships, and remain focused on treatment objectives.

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