Abstract
This dissertation comprises a research-based case study on using mentalising in Art Therapy with a group of South African Deaf young adults from the Presidential Youth Empowerment Initiative. Participants in the group, referred to as "lived-experience researchers," are prelingually Deaf and struggling to obtain employment. Artworks created by the participants and author, taken as part of the research during six consecutive weekly sessions, are presented as a visual dialogue comprising preemptive artworks by the author, artworks by the lived-experience research participants and response artworks to each session by the author. These images relate to: transcribed SASL discussions about the interplay between lived and perceived experiences of Deafness and a reflexive analysis by the author, intending to reveal biases and challenge perceptions of Deafness. The method is an iterative process, promoting and modelling mentalising in the triangular relationship between therapist, client and artwork. The findings are three-fold: firstly, that a dialogical approach in artmaking expedites the revelation of uncomfortable biases and prejudices within the group and provides a safe and meaningful space in which to explore these; secondly, that artwork underpins and reinforces communication and connection between hearing and Deaf people; lastly, that art therapy and mentalising - visual, intrapersonal and interpersonal by nature - are meaningful approaches to working in the Deaf community in South Africa.
Key words: art therapy, mentalising, Deaf, attachment theory, person-centred approach, arts-based research