This study aims to examine the effects of the Mother and Child Art Therapy on the improvement of attachment and interpersonal relationships of the students with school maladjustment, analysing a case of the Mother and Child Art Therapy for a mother and a juvenile student with school adjustment problems, which was conducted in a counselling room of a coeducational middle school located in W city. In detail, this study investigates two research questions. First, does the Mother and Child Art Therapy program improve the quality of the attachment between a mother and child with school adjustment problems? Second, does the Mother and Child Art Therapy improve interpersonal relationships of the student with school maladjustment? To examine these questions, this study conducted in total thirty-one art therapy sessions, two or three weekly sessions lasting 40 minutes in each time, from September 2009 to December 2009. Attempting more effective intervention through activities with the mother, the present study also biweekly carried out a 60-minute mother and child program, coupled with a 30-minute conversation session. The effects of the art therapy program was evaluated by the attachment score, scales for interpersonal relationships with parents and friends, and the HTP image test. This study also recorded and analysed behavior changes at school and home through interviews with the homeroom teacher and mother. Overall, the results of the present study showed that the Mother and Child Art Therapy improved attachment quality between mother and child and enhanced interpersonal relationship of the student with school maladjustment. Therefore, I argue that the art therapy combined with the Mother and Child activity can be applied to attachment and interpersonal relationship problems of the students with school maladjustment.
Key Words : Students with school Maladjustment, Attachment, Interpersonal Relationships