View article

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented shift to online treatment. For the creative arts therapies (CATs) – a healthcare profession that involves the intentional use of the visual art, drama, music, dance, and poetry within a therapeutic relationship – this shift has been highly consequential for practice. This study examined (a) how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted clinical practice in the CATs, and (b) the features characterizing online practice in an international sample of 1206 creative arts therapies aged 22–86 (92% female). It aimed to identify changes in the use of the arts in therapy, resources that contributed to the delivery of therapy, and the role of therapists’ creative self-efficacy in adapting to these changes. Respondents completed close and open-ended questions providing examples of what does and does not work in online practice. The results indicate that creative self-efficacy plays a …