Adlerian Art Therapy: Navigating the Chaos and Uncertainty of Type 1 Diabetes

The literature review focuses on Type 1 diabetes (T1DM). T1DM is an autoimmune chronic illness that causes physiological chaos and psychological uncertainty. The self-management of T1DM can interfere with the three life tasks (work, friendship, and love) by creating distress, inferiority feelings, decreased feeling of belonging, and increasing depression and anxiety. Psychological assessment throughout the lifetime of a person with T1DM, no matter what HbA1c levels, would be favorable. There are implications that the navigation of a life with T1DM through the use of Adlerian art therapy can foster hope, motivation, and encouragement. This researcher speculates art therapy can be an effective process for developing coping skills and gaining a sense of control in relation to T1DM. And people with T1DM who attend group art therapy, may immediately feel understood by peers, which generates a feeling of validation and increases their self-care. Which, in turn, improves the level of functioning in the three life tasks.

Keywords: art therapy, Adler, Type 1 diabetes, chronic illness, Three Life Tasks, belonging, inferiority feelings, hope, fear, depression, anxiety