Attachment Potential for Art Therapy Asssessment

Attachment Potential for Art Therapy Assessment (APATA)
References:
Francis, D.M., Kaiser, D. & Deaver, S. 2003. Representations of attachment security in Birds Nest Drawings of clients with substance abuse disorder. Art Therapy Journal of AATA, 20 (3), 125-137.

Hays, R. & Lyons, S. 1981. The Bridge Drawing: A projective technique for assessment in art therapy. The Arts In Psychotherapy, 8, 207-217.

Kaiser, D. 1996. Indicators of attachment security in a drawing task. The Arts In Psychotherapy, 23,(4), 333-340.

Ages: No age limit is noted.
Purpose: This assessment helps identify a person’s attachment style and may provide insight into the person’s past attachments. This assessment may be particularly suited for children with attachment disorders, who experience separation anxiety, or are living in a non-traditional living arrangement.
Materials: two 8.5 x 11 sheets of white paper, 12-color pack of erasable color pencils, 10-color pack of fine-tip markers
Procedure/Administration: The evaluator hands the client on piece of paper and the pack of colored pencils. First the client is asked to “Draw a nest” with the color pencils. Once this drawing is complete, the evaluator asks the inquiry questions listed below, in the “Nest Inquiry” section.
The evaluator then hands the client another piece of paper and the pack of markers. The client is asked to “Draw a bridge going from some place to some place.” Once this drawing is completed, the evaluator asks the inquiry questions listed below in the “Bridge Inquiry” section.
Nest Inquiry: The “nest inquiry” questions are asked after the nest drawing.
Write (or tell) a short story with a short beginning, a short middle and a short end.
Create a title and write it on the drawing.
Is there anything else you’d like to add or change?
Bridge Inquiry: The “Bridge Inquiry” questions are asked after the bridge drawing.
Place a dot on the bridge with a color you like or dislike to indicate where you are on the bridge.
Indicate with an arrow the direction in which you would be going with a color you like or dislike.
From what materials is the bridge made?
Describe the places on either side of the bridge.
Tell me about what’s under the bridge.
Write a title on the picture.
Interpretation: The drawings are interpreted based on the following rating systems, which are based on a 1-5 Likert scale, with 1 being the lowest or the least, and 5 being the highest or the most. Secure and healthy attachments are indicated by higher scores, whereas unstable attachments are indicated by lower scores.
Nest Drawing:
Are there contents within the nest?
Does the environment look supportive?
Does the story about the nest reflect a theme of security or attachment?
Is a parental nesting animal included?
Bridge Drawing:
Which way is the arrow pointing? (An arrow pointing to the left generally represents the past or what has been left behind. An arrow pointing to the right generally represents the future. An arrow pointing downward generally represents falling, a lack of stability, hopelessness, or death.)
Is the self-dot securely placed on the bridge?
Are the verbalized places drawn on the sides of the bridge?
How solid is the land that supports the bridge?
How strong and stable is the bridge’s construction? Is it made of rope, steel, etc?
Strengths: This assessment produces 2 separate opportunities to discuss attachments, and the research for both the Draw a Nest and the Bridge Drawing may be used to explore the findings within these 2 drawings. These drawings are fairly non-threatening, and the inquiry and interpretation questions are thorough and insightful.
Limitations: This assessment is not supported by empirical research, and some may argue that there is no real advantage to combining Draw a Nest and the Bridge Drawing. The drawing materials are restricted to erasable colored pencils and fine tip markers, which seems slightly limiting.
Reflection: I like the fact that the APATA produces 2 drawings depicting the same theme. This creates more of an opportunity to see the emerging big picture than does one drawing alone.