Catharsis in art therapy: A case study of a sexually abused adolescent

This case study discusses the use of catharsis in art therapy with a 16-year-old female who had been sexually abused by her stepfather. The client employed art materials to produce an effigy of her abuser, which she fastened to an altar and repeatedly stabbed with sharpened pencils. That enactment provided an outlet for latent emotions and aggressive drives which could not be expressed in daily life. Rather than intervening or diverting her process, I supported the opportunity to discharge pent-up emotions stemming from her abusive experiences. I discuss how catharsis was part of a broader therapeutic context that included both emotional and cognitive components.