Doll making: An art therapy approach to support bereaved clients

Abstract

This article is about an art therapy doll making process to support bereaved clients. I explore the potential of doll making in the context of bereavement and art therapy, using the lens of object relations theory and attachment theory. I reflect on an arts-based self study of my own doll making experience based on my Art Therapy Honours research. I will also present a process that art therapists can use when working with dolls and bereaved clients. The aim of this article is to answer the question, why is making dolls such a powerful and evocative experience, both as a support during bereavement but also beyond? The article emerges from a desire to understand how doll making can be used by art therapists to support bereaved clients, using both the existing literature on dolls and doll making as well as my own experience of making dolls. I use a literature review and reflections on my own doll making practice. The arts-based approach permits me to write from a personal perspective to investigate and explore my doll making experience, in relation to both practice and theory. Doll making can be a powerful and evocative activity that has many therapeutic benefits, in particular as a support for bereavement. There is limited literature on doll-making and art therapy, as well as bereavement and art therapy, and therefore this article is a contribution to original knowledge. It derives from a literature review, arts-based research and from personal reflection into my own processes, producing a process that is original and replicable.