Assimeu (S/he Mends the Snowshoe): Reconnecting the Family through Dyadic Art Therapy

By Dawna Lee

This research is a qualitative, single case study that explores the lived experience of an Indigenous mother and her children reconnecting their bonds post-foster care. Using an attachment informed dyadic art therapy approach, the family participates in a total of twenty sessions to repair their relationships. Emboldened through their process of creating art and storytelling, the dyads cultivate attunement, parental nurturance, trust and relational repair that leads to the family’s reunification. In the spirit of reconciliation, this inquiry is guided by an Indigenous research method and encourages the use of Indigenous symbolic healing and cultural resilience in art therapy. The intention of this research is to offer an approach to art therapy practitioners who are working with the Indigenous community in their efforts to reunify Indigenous families from separation.