| Abstract: | Paintings and drawings can enrich and amplify understanding of dilemmas which may otherwise be limited by reliance on verbal data alone, such as client conversations, interviews and case-notes. In order for social workers to make sense of this additional information, they will need to use their subjective understandings, which because of their very subjectivity need then to be cross-checked with other forms of evidence. This article outlines an approach useful in social work practice with adult clients. It is based on research with a community group of volunteers from the Midlands who chose to join a project exploring midlife and its transitions. It was found that art-making of a particular order, which accentuated sensory exploration, curiosity and experimentation, contributed towards a changed relationship with self and with the external world. Key indicators lay in changes in use of language, choice of art materials and colour. |
