ABSTRACT
The focus of this chapter is on how art therapy is used when working with family members in a child and adult hospice based in England. As an art therapist working across children and adult services, I have found that there is a constant need to adapt to meet the needs of patients and their families during their journey through the hospice. This chapter will explore my perspective on the experience and knowledge that is required when working with families within palliative care; the UK’s healthcare system; and how hospice care relates to this and differs when working with adults, children and families during various stages of pre-bereavement, end of life care and post-bereavement. Three case studies will illustrate the breadth of work I undertake which includes working with an adult patient during end of life care, a sibling’s experience of their brother dying, and an example of revisiting a death ten years later.
