Art therapy offers a unique pathway to fostering a culturally responsive approach in early intervention. Because it is nonverbal, flexible, and led by the child, it naturally adapts to each child’s cultural background, language, and worldview. A culturally responsive framework in art therapy highlights the importance of honouring and integrating children’s diverse identities, traditions, and lived experiences into the therapeutic process. Instead of applying a “one-size-fits-all” model, it tailors interventions to align with each child’s values and context, while also encouraging therapists to critically reflect on their own perspectives and assumptions.

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Respecting and Integrating Cultural Expression

Visual language is universal. Children can communicate feelings, experiences, and identity through symbols, colours, and styles that are culturally meaningful, without relying on English or a dominant-language vocabulary. Therapists can incorporate traditional art forms, stories, patterns, and materials familiar to the child’s culture (e.g., Aboriginal dot painting, weaving, nature-based materials, or motifs from cultural textiles). This fosters cultural pride and helps children see their identity valued in a therapeutic setting (Sofija, et al., 2023).

Bennett-Levy et al. (2020) similarly highlighted how integrating culturally significant art practices such as through Arts-Based Compassion Skills Training (ABCST) for Indigenous Australians which supports participants in expressing compassion and strengthening community ties. These adaptations demonstrate that art therapy can honour cultural identity while promoting psychological healing.

Supporting Multiple Worldviews

Culturally responsive art therapy recognises that different cultures have different ways of understanding health, family, and healing. Through co-creating with the child and family, therapists can embed cultural narratives, symbols, and values into sessions. In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contexts, for example, art-making often carries storytelling, spiritual, and community connection elements, which can be honoured in therapy (Coull & Parson, 2024). Weinberg (2018) cautioned that Indigenous art should not be treated as exceptional or tokenistic, but as an integral part of identity and meaning-making. Art therapy, therefore, must adapt to embrace multiple worldviews and avoid reinforcing dominant cultural assumptions.

Build Trust and Safety

For families with mistrust of mainstream health systems (due to historical or systemic inequities), art therapy’s low-pressure, non-clinical feel can reduce barriers to engagement. Creative spaces allow families to participate without fear of “getting it wrong” as the focus is on process, not product. Shared art-making between therapist, child, and family creates a relationship-based bridge, essential in many cultures where trust comes before personal disclosure. McFerran et al. (2021) demonstrated that creative arts therapies promote social inclusion by creating safe, expressive, and culturally sensitive spaces. This emphasis on process over product is particularly important for families who have historically experienced exclusion or marginalisation.

Family & Community Involvement

Art therapy can easily invite parents, grandparents, and siblings into the process, reflecting the collectivist values of many cultures. Group projects (e.g., community murals, family collages) help strengthen intergenerational bonds and cultural knowledge transfer. This aligns with the ECIA National Guidelines on family-centred practice in Australia and reinforces the role of art therapy as a tool for strengthening cultural identity and family connections. Hill, et al., (2020) further emphasised the importance of culturally responsive tools for measuring outcomes among First Australian children, underscoring the role of families and communities in shaping effective interventions.

Adapting Materials and Methods

The therapist can use culturally familiar materials (e.g., natural pigments, clay, fabric scraps) to reflect the child’s heritage. Sessions can also be adapted to cultural practices around touch, personal space, eye contact, or hierarchy, ensuring comfort and respect. These adaptations echo Hook et al.’s (2013) principle of cultural humility, where therapists remain open and reflective, continually adjusting their approaches to align with client values.

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The role of art therapy in promoting cultural responsiveness lies in its ability to blend adapted art techniques with ongoing reflective practices. By integrating culturally meaningful art forms, respecting traditions, and remaining sensitive to symbolic meanings, art therapists create a safe and inclusive space for clients. At the same time, reflective practices ensure that therapists maintain humility, challenge their own biases, and continue evolving their practice in line with principles of equity and respect. Ultimately, culturally responsive art therapy empowers clients by affirming their cultural identities and fostering healing within the context of their lived experiences.

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References

• Bennett-Levy, J., Roxburgh, N., Hibner, L., Bala, S., Edwards, S., Lucre, K., Cohen, G., O’Connor, D., Keogh, S., & Gilbert, P. (2020). Arts-Based Compassion Skills Training (ABCST): Channelling compassion focused therapy through visual arts for Australia’s Indigenous peoples. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 568561. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.568561‍
• Coull, H., & Parson, J. A. (2024). Establishing trust and creating safety for play therapy service provision with an Australian aboriginal community: Informing culturally responsive practice.International Journal of Play Therapy, 33(3), 140–153. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000220‍
• Sofija , E., Reyes Bernard, N., Bowler , S., Wiseman, N., & Harris, N. (2023). Creative and play-based interventions for culturally and linguistically diverse children: A systematic review. Journal of Social Inclusion, 14(1), null. https://doi.org/10.36251/josi337‍
• Hook, J. N., Davis, D. E., Owen, J., Worthington Jr, E. L., & Utsey, S. O. (2013). Cultural humility: measuring openness to culturally diverse clients. Journal of counseling psychology, 60(3), 353
• McFerran, K. S., Song, J. E., Musicka-Williams, A., Dumaresq, E., & Bibb, J. (2021). Creative arts therapies as social inclusion promotion. In P. Liamputtong (Ed.), Handbook of Social Inclusion (pp. 1–20). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48277-0_121-1‍
• Hill, A. E., Nelson, A., Copley, J. A., Quinlan, T., McLaren, C. F., White, R., ... & Brodrick, J. (2020). Real gains: development of a tool to measure outcomes for urban First Australian children accessing culturally responsive interprofessional therapy. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 1-8. https://www.iuih.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Real-gains-development-of-a-tool-to-measure-outcomes-for-urban-First-Australian-children-accessing-culturally-responsive-interprof.pdf‍
• Weinberg, T. (2018). Gaining cultural competence through alliances in art therapy with indigenous clients (La compétence culturelle et son acquisition grâce à des alliances avec des clients autochtones en art-thérapie). Canadian art therapy association Journal, 31(1), 14-22.