Clinical record-keeping and client tracking practices within the arts therapies

Abstract

The arts therapies are recognised healthcare professions regulated by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Among other responsibilities the HPCSA provides guidelines and procedures to enable practitioners to adhere to ethical practices during their work. Such practices include clinical record-keeping and client tracking (CRCT). Each arts therapy modality practices CRCT according to its specialised clinical training. Despite working primarily in the modality of their specialisation, arts therapists might include other creative mediums, such as music, art, drama, dance, etc. during the therapy process. For this reason, it is necessary for arts therapists to familiarise themselves with CRCT processes that apply in other arts therapies. As there has not been a review of literature that provides an understanding of CRCT practices across all four arts therapies modalities, this qualitative study aims to (i) adopt a narrative approach in reviewing the literature to explore CRCT practices in arts therapies across the world and (ii) through questionnaires explore the experiences and insights of arts therapists in South Africa regarding the application of CRCT in their specific modality. This study is therefore guided by two research questions, namely (i) What knowledge does the published literature in the arts therapies convey regarding CRCT practices? and (ii) What CRCT practices are used by South African arts therapists? A rigorous, four-step screening process of available literature was followed, and 22 data sources were selected to be part of the narrative literature review of the study. During the screening phase, the data sources were analysed for literature pertaining to the research question. A total of ten themes were identified to guide the study. An invitation to participate in this study was sent to all arts therapists in South Africa who were listed on the database of the South African National Arts Therapies Association (SANATA). A total of nine participants agreed to participate and completed the questionnaires. Questionnaire data was analysed using the six steps of thematic analysis and a total of 42 higher-level codes emerged. This study concludes with ten themes from the narrative literature review, supported by higher-level codes that speak to the practices of CRCT and how these might be useful and implemented in practice in the work of arts therapists. The findings of the study explored both the themes of the narrative literature review, as well as the responses from the participants in the questionnaire and concluded that CRCT is a valuable practice in the arts therapies and should include aspects such as clinical note-taking, assessments completed by the therapist, client-centred approach to work, emphasis on training in CRCT, reflexivity in practice, focus on and adherence to ethical work, manual or digital methods of practice in CRCT, the use of multimedia in work with clients and becoming familiar with CRCT practices used within other arts therapy modalities.