Molding minds: evaluating the therapeutic impact of sculpting in mental health care in Kenya

Abstract

Background: Mental health care in Kenya, like in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, remains heavily reliant on verbal and pharmacological treatments, with minimal integration of alternative, expressive therapies. Tactile-based interventions such as sculpting are underutilized despite their potential to enhance concentration, expression, and emotional regulation among patients with varying psychological needs (Malchiodi, 2012). Introducing such interventions could diversify therapeutic options and offer more inclusive, culturally sensitive pathways to healing. Problem: Patients often struggle to articulate emotional distress verbally, and current outpatient models rarely engage alternative therapeutic forms. Additionally, most mental health environments lack the tools, materials, and design logic required for therapeutic art-based interventions. There is limited research on how sculpting could be structured and evaluated as a viable mental health therapy within Kenyan settings. Objective: The main objective of the study was to develop, implement, and evaluate a sculpting-based therapeutic intervention for mental health patients at Oasis Mental Health Limited (OMHL), with the aim of enhancing patient concentration, emotional expression, and participation using low-cost, culturally relevant materials and facilitation strategies. Design: The study adopted a practice-based, qualitative research design, integrating sculpting activities with structured observation and participant reflection over a period of three weeks. Setting: The intervention was carried out at Oasis Mental Health Limited (OMHL), an outpatient psychiatric care facility in Nairobi, Kenya. Sessions were held in a customized outdoor environment within the facility compound. Subjects: The subjects of the study included 7 adult patients and 10 OMHL staff members who participated either directly or through facilitation. A total of 6 patients and 5 staff members completed post-intervention evaluations. Results: Results showed significant improvement in concentration levels among patients, especially during creative and autonomous sculpting sessions. Participants also demonstrated enhanced emotional expression through their work. Staff reported a positive impact on therapeutic communication and confirmed the safety and practicality of the tools and instruction formats used. Multimodal instruction delivery and flexible space use emerged as key design enablers for therapeutic engagement. Conclusion: The study concluded that sculpting is a viable and effective therapeutic intervention when carefully structured around accessible materials, flexible instructional modes, and safe spatial design. Its integration into mental health programs, such as those at OMHL, can improve therapeutic outcomes while expanding the expressive capacity of patients in low-resource settings.