A study on creative arts therapists’ human rights sensitivity

Abstract

Human rights sensitivity is a psychological process with a critical role in encouraging and undertaking human rights advocacy actions. Creative arts therapists use art media to help clients with mental, physical, and social challenges. Many groups and minorities are vulnerable to blind spots related to human rights. Therefore, creative arts therapists are asked to convey high human rights sensitivity to help defend the human rights of clients in situations involving human rights issues. This study aims to determine the level of creative arts therapists'human rights sensitivity and examine its influencing factors. We conducted an online survey with creative arts therapists in Korea and analyzed the responses of 153 participants. The average sensitivity score is 75.97/150, with migrant workers’ labor rights scoring the highest and freedom from detention scoring the lowest. Creative arts therapists’ education (F = 6.348, p = .002) and work experience (F = 4.329, p = .015) significantly affect human rights sensitivity. However, education experience in human rights, education completion time, and certification are less significant. There is an urgent need for effective education that deepens creative arts therapists’ understanding of human rights and enables them to apply perspectives on human rights to the treatment they provide. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd