Creative Art Therapy as a Stress Management Technique for Senior Staff of University of Cape Coast, Ghana

Abstract

This research explored how creative art therapy could be used as an effective stress management technique. To help attain utmost results from the study, the researcher employed the quasi experimental design of investigation to aid in implementing the treatment – creative art therapy. The study comprised both control and experimental participants. The research participants consisted of 20 senior staff in the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Ghana who were selected through a multistage sampling procedure. The respondents’ levels of stress were obtained with the aid of a Perceived Stress Scale. The experimental group was taken through a creative art therapy treatment while the control group received no treatment. The study identified that the overall stress level of the senior staff of UCC operate at a high level of stress. Stress of senior staff was generally as a result of constellation of factors related to their finances, family and their personal lives. The application of creative art over eight sessions on the experimental group provided participants with some amount of stress relief as they engaged in the creation of different craft works. It is worth noting that with much motivation and freedom of expression, the experimental participants were able to explore the creativity within them which facilitated their accomplishments of tasks and relieved them from stress. It is recommended that counsellors should organise programmes aimed at creating awareness of stress and strategies by which staff can cope with stress. Counsellors are also urged to use creative art therapy for stress reduction among clients. Management of universities should collaborate with counselling units to establish therapeutic sections within the institution which would offer art therapy settings for stress relief services to workers at their own convenience.