Art Therapy and Hospice & Palliative Care in Korea

Kim, Chang Gon

Abstract

In Korea, modern art therapy was developed in the 1960s and 1970s in the form of supplementary activities for patients in psychiatry. Along with the foundation of the Korean Association for Clinical Art in 1982 by psychiatric doctors, the therapy involved more various arts forms such as music, art, dance, poetry therapy, and psychodrama. More organizations with specific expertise opened such as the Korean Art Therapy Association, Korean Art Therapy Association, etc. in the 1990s and the Korea Arts Therapy Institute in 2001. As of April 2015, the members of the Korean Art Therapy Association total 15,000, including 6,200 regular members. The arts in integrative arts therapy (IAT) is an individual's creative activity which is related to his inner world, and the forms of IAT include music, drawing, dance and poetry therapy. From the aspect of phenomenology, IAT is psychophysical therapy involving the arts that helps patients recognize and perceive their experiences with an aim of at a recovery of the body and creativity from the phenomenological aspect. It is also a therapeutic activity that targets growth and development of the body and mind. Meta-analysis of the effects of art therapy with a focus on that involving music, drawing, dance movement and IAT in recent years in Korea, significant effects were observed in all factors but physical function. The biggest effect was mentality adaptation followed by activity adaptation and physiology. In the run up to the implementation of the daily flat-rate system for the health insurance reimbursement for palliative care in July 2015, the Ministry of Health and Welfare is reviewing the coverage of music therapy, drawing therapy and flower therapy, which are currently practiced by 56 hospice institutes in Korea. This is a meaningful step because the coverage of hospice and palliative care came after that of art therapy for psychiatric patients was approved in 1977. Still, there is a need clarify the therapeutic mechanism by exploring causality among the treatment media, mediation type and treatment effects. To address the issue of indiscriminately issued licenses, more efforts are needed to ensure expertise and identity of the licensed therapists through education, training and supervision.