Search

Art-based parental training involves engaging the parents in creative processes and the observation of their art products. The current paper presents guidelines for art-based parental training, based on the assumption that the encounter between the world of art and the world of therapy creates a rich triangular relationship between therapist, parent, and artwork. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 art therapists who described their experiences and the interventions they have developed for parents. The findings show how these interventions can be applied in clinical settings and how these art therapists see the impact of these art-based interventions on the therapeutic process. Most therapists believe that encouraging parents to create spontaneously and authentically in a suitable environment that contains a range of art materials for painting and sculpture can support the initiation of emotional communication on the part of the parents with themselves, their partner, and their child. In this type of therapy, the parents' responses and the creative product are primordial since they are considered to reflect the parents' development, personal skills, fields of interest, concerns, and difficulties. The guidelines are derived from these findings. • Guidelines for art-based parental training (ABPT model) are presented. • 15 art therapists describe art interventions they developed for treating parents. • Provides examples, case studies and applications in clinical settings. • Environments with art materials support parental emotional communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article reviews the Spanish history of the art therapy profession and research. In addition, a contemporary view of current art therapy research is described through a bibliometric analysis of 160 art therapy articles published in the Spanish Journal of Art Therapy. Papers on Art Therapy and art Education for Social Inclusion from 2011 to 2021. The following research indicators were analyzed: authorship, participants, population, artistic discipline, theoretical models of art therapy intervention, nature of the studies, and assessments. Outcomes revealed that Spanish art therapy researchers are mostly women who usually publish on their own. Additionally, many ages, populations and topics are treated. Visual art is the discipline most used in the analyzed research. Gestalt, community-based art programs, and the eclectic approach are the most selected theoretical models. Most of the studies are qualitative and theory building with no assessment. However, when assessment is included, the type most used is the tools made by the researcher. Implications, limitations, and further lines of research are discussed. • Art therapy research in Spain is a young discipline conducted in the last ten years. • The profile of Spanish researchers on art-therapy corresponds to dedicated females. • The use of art therapy in Spain has extended to vulnerable and minority groups. • There is a shift from psychoanalysis to other theoretical models for intervention. • Most of the studies published in Spain are qualitative or theory building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review with narrative synthesis aimed to identify the forms of art therapy practice, types of studies conducted, outcomes reported, and experiences described in the literature for people with learning disabilities who also experienced mental distress. Papers in English, describing art therapy practice or therapeutic art interventions which addressed mental distress with adults with learning disabilities were included. Database searches were conducted using Healthcare Databases Advanced Search (HDAS), PubMed and American Psychological Association PsycInfo. Hand searches of grey literature were also conducted. Relevance and quality assessment ratings were carried out on each included paper. Results were discussed in terms of the four main questions of this review. Sixty-eight papers were included: 41 clinical practice and 27 research studies. Art therapy was most frequently provided on an individual basis, by qualified art therapists in community settings. Papers highlighted a broad range of adaptive practices, techniques and theoretical models used by practitioners when working with this population. Study outcomes varied, were predominantly behavioural and deficit focused. Data on the direct experiences of this population were limited but show promising areas for future research. This review identified that art therapy practice has evolved in response to diverse client needs and specific socio-cultural contexts across 40 years. Although there are no clearly defined models of individual or group art therapy for this population, practitioners employ their creative and therapeutic skills flexibly to meet this population's complex health and social needs. We recommend that future studies: employ robust and inclusive methodologies, measure resource-oriented outcomes and use established standards of reporting, to expand the evidence-base and to more accurately reflect the experiences of this population. • There is a wide spectrum of loss, trauma and mental distress in learning disability. • Art therapy learning disability practice has evolved contextually over 40 years. • Art is used to aid communication and emotional expression, reducing distress. • Research shows promising outcomes for mental health and behaviour that challenges. • Client experiences emphasised self-expression, emotional insight and social benefits of art therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, art therapists used new methods, materials, and techniques to help address the needs of community members. The practices that emerged from art therapy while adjusting to the pandemic, created new perspectives and ways to re-theorize and re-energize community art therapy engagement. As the acute stage of the pandemic passes, the art therapy profession can take this opportunity to pause and explore the new practice-based knowledge and techniques developed "on the ground" during the acute crisis and canonize them by connecting practice to the growing body of theory on social art therapy. This paper will help conceptualize, articulate, and thus demystify these developments, anchoring them to social theories of community. This paper will integrate setting, role of art, role of art therapists, ethical considerations, and evaluation, into social theories, describing specific features of a new theory of social art therapy in the context of community crises. • Social Art Therapy is a novel community focused paradigm. • A framework for crisis recovery can be driven by Social Art Therapy theory. • Social Art Therapy is developed from adaptive art therapy practices. • Social crisis commonly necessitates a Social Art Therapy approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes the development of the Couples Closeness Distance Scale (CCDS) a quantitative tool for evaluation of joint drawing tasks informed by attachment theory concepts of closeness and distance and art therapy-based phenomenological theory. The scale development process was based on the observer version of the Therapeutic-Distance-Scale (TDS-O). Fourteen romantically involved couples drew together on a shared sheet of paper twice, and then took part in a joint interview. Pictorial phenomena that may indicate issues of distance and closeness were identified by a five-member analysis team, and then added to the TDS items. During the process, adjustments were made in the wording of some of the TDS items for the purpose of the current scale. In the process of formulating the items, the ICC was calculated, and certain items were redefined for suitability and accuracy. The final version of the CCDS includes four dimensions: Too Distant (ICC 0.91–0.96), Too Close (ICC 0.66–0.92), Autonomy (ICC 0.70–0.81), and Engagement- Appropriate Closeness (ICC 0.75–0.97). The use of the scale is demonstrated by means of three examples. Potential uses and limitations of the scale are presented in the discussion section. • The paper describes the development of the Couples Closeness Distance Scale (CCDS). • CCDS is a quantitative tool for evaluation of joint drawing. • The CCDS is based on the observer version of the Therapeutic-Distance-Scale. • The CCDS relates to closeness and distance in the couple's drawings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experiencing the death of a loved one as a young person is challenging in its own right, and underlying trauma can complicate one's bereavement. With little available research exploring the intersections of trauma and grief, this paper aims to provide a foundational understanding of how trauma contexts and histories manifest in music therapy bereavement support programming for young people. Theoretical models that are culturally grounded, resource-oriented, and adopting an ecological, multisystemic lens are presented. The impacts of interpersonal trauma, trauma from systemic oppression, collective trauma, and intergenerational trauma are explored within the context of bereavement support. Diverse music therapy approaches to support the various trauma and grief intersections are shared. Lastly, reflection questions to support a culturally humble practice are offered for those committed to providing meaningful and socially conscious support for youth who have experienced trauma and loss. Given the high prevalence of trauma and death experiences among young people, all music therapists, regardless of clinical setting, would benefit from being trauma- and bereavement-informed. • Trauma and death experiences are highly prevalent in young people. • Interpersonal trauma, systemic oppression, and collective trauma can compound grief. • Music therapists in any clinical setting should be trauma- and bereavement-informed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Awareness: develop and evaluate the impact of digital strategies in helping veterans and their families acquire mental health knowledge. • Motivation: increase engagement with mental health literacy initiatives through a documentary performance featuring ex-servicemen and actors. • Action: implement and evaluate a psycho-educational program in partnership with the University of British Columbia, Canada (Balfour et al., 2014). • Synthesize an approach to effective interventions in arts-based practice with returning veterans and their families. The rich history of arts, mental health and military work dates back to the First World War. The article describes an arts-based four-year research project focussed on work with returning military personnel and their families dealing with mental health issues. The Difficult Return , funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery grant, consisted of three distinct interventions: an online mental health awareness campaign; a documentary-play designed to motivate military audience to seek help; and a ten-day intensive psychotherapeutic program utilising enactments. The paper will outline key concepts used, methods, approach and the implications for further research. In the paper, I argue that arts-based mental health projects need to combine multi-disciplinary approaches that embrace complex paradigms, and that a variety of integrated arts approaches may be efficacious in building communities of interest, that in turn can interact, contribute and collaborate together to build good mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to articulate an emerging application of music therapy, drawing on data collected in a broader ongoing feminist research project. The project locates music therapy as an anti-oppressive practice for young people in high school to explore gender and power. This article focuses on how young people conceptualise this approach to music therapy practice. In the last decade, several approaches have emerged in the creative arts therapies that aim to critically explore power, and challenge dominant socio-political discourses. While there has been a dedicated interest in critical, feminist approaches to practice in the music therapy discipline, empirical research into music therapy as a space for exploring gendered narratives with young people is still evolving. Furthermore, we have little sense of how anti-oppressive approaches are experienced by the people of all ages with whom we work in music therapy practice. Foregrounding the participants’ experiences and ideas, this paper attempts to develop specific terminology generated by young people themselves, highlighting whether the ways we conceptualise our role are actually apparent to and understood by them. 16 young people were asked during interviews how they would describe the role of the music therapist in the project. This paper explores the three key salient themes emerging from their responses: that this approach centres on providing a safe and therapeutic space to explore real world issues ; that such a role involves a distinct approach to sharing power and holding space; and that this role has both emancipatory potential and complex consequences for adolescent group work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small number of papers indicate that music therapists are interested in how their work is perceived by other healthcare professionals. The research reported in this paper examined assumptions and expectations of music therapy by mental health professionals in order to understand better how music therapists might use effective strategies to empower greater knowledge of their practice and services. We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven clinical staff members of an acute mental health facility that did not have music therapy. Data were analyzed via the six phases of thematic analysis. Member checking and trustworthiness were also used. Guided by the interplay between the user, music, and music therapist that conceptualizes music therapy, we identified five emerging themes concerning assumptions and expectations of music therapy: 1) the client – potential benefits to service users, perceptions of the appropriate service user ‘type;’ 2) the music therapist – unawareness of the music therapy as an established profession with required training and skills; 3) the music – types of music ideal for therapeutic impact; 4) music therapy – treatment expectations; and 5) the context – music therapy would augment and complement existing psychosocial treatment programming. Participants tended to be unfamiliar with most aspects of music therapy and continued education and advocacy are warranted. Emerging themes can provide a framework for information to be included within educational in-services. Suggestions for future research, limitations, and implications for music therapists are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on a practice-based interdisciplinary research project to examine ‘kinaesthetic empathy’ as an intersubjective phenomenon within clinical practice. Research participants included both experienced movers (a group formed by qualified dance movement psychotherapists and dance artists) and non-experienced movers (a group comprising multidisciplinary clinicians within a National Health Service mental health unit). The investigative work was grounded in embodied interdisciplinary research and was informed by dance movement psychotherapy (DMP), phenomenology and cognitive neuroscience. Research outcomes included: (i) A measure of motor cortex involvement in movement processing; (ii) phenomenological analysis of participants’ accounts and (iii) embodied performance work. This paper straddles art, science and clinical practice boundaries and contributes to discourses of embodied empathy and intersubjectivity within clinical contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a theoretical foundation for integrating the psychodynamic and social construction perspectives to group work for the purpose of enhancing resilience. A model for narrative-dynamic group work integrating the arts was implemented with a team of professionals who worked with children and families at risk. Single case study research is used as an example that describes and evaluates implementation of the model. Results show that such a group can help individual members and the group as a whole learn and recognize their vulnerability to compassion fatigue and emotional burden, as well as their strengths and abilities, in a process that leads to enhanced resilience. The paper raises and discusses dilemmas related to facilitation of the group and the impact of organizational demands. Implementation of the model provided the group members with an awareness of the meaning and significance of their emotional experiences and provided a useful guide for their work with children and families at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the role of the arts in healthcare related to young people ’ s mental health and wellbeing ? How do we understand the interconnections of art, therapy and health and describe the projected benefits for young people ’ s mental health and wellbeing ? Responding to these questions, this paper describes a youth arts project and research. Three stakeholder viewpoints, the artists, health workers and young people, are examined to draw out explanations and understandings of art, therapy, and health related to young people’s mental health in an Australian context. A synthesis of arts and health methodologies were used, including thematic analysis of interviews with participants. This paper investigates the ways in which participant descriptions entwined and blurred ideas and possibilities of practice across the art, therapy and health nexus. These viewpoints add up to much more than each one can offer in singularity. They reveal expanded perspectives with which to consider scope of practice, discipline boundaries, and research gaps pertaining to the role of the arts in youth-specific mental health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to provide direction and highlight implications for human rights education for creative arts therapists by exploring their experiences of human rights education designed to promote human rights sensitivity. Six creative arts therapists were recruited to participate in focus group interviews conducted online between August and September 2022. Additional interview data were collected until February 2023, and the data were transcribed afterward. This paper presents the qualitative part of a descriptive sequential mixed design. Qualitative analysis was performed to analyze the content, and a total of 5 main and 15 subthemes were identified. Taking the improvement in human rights sensitivity via education as the central phenomenon, we identified a pathway from expressing human rights sensitivity to directing human rights education for creative arts therapists. This pathway involved a factor that inhibited human rights sensitivity and a deficiency in human rights education. The results underscore the importance of supporting creative arts therapists in their occupational competencies by improving their sensitivity toward human rights and delivering human rights education that is aligned with their professional characteristics. • Research explored the human rights education experiences of creative arts therapists(CATs). • Expression of HR sensitivity was found to be related to social and cultural factors. • Organizational culture acted as one of the inhibiting factors for HR sensitivity. • Enhancement of HR sensitivity emerged as an effect of human rights education. • Human rights education tailored to the specialty and identity of CATs is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensory sensitivity and anxiety are often experienced by neurodivergent children. Repetitive physical actions are a common way to self-regulate and reduce anxiety, yet stigma attached to these actions can discourage people with sensory sensitivities from participating in public events such as concerts. Children with sensory sensitivities therefore often miss out on the social benefits of attending live concerts. This paper reports the results of two studies (for each N = 20) investigating whether the predictability/level of internal repetition in classical music can be calming for Australian children aged 5–14 with sensory sensitivities. Study 1 utilized a one-on-one laboratory setting with live piano performance (two low repetition pieces, two high repetition pieces), whereas Study 2 used a group performance setting with a live cello performance (one low repetition piece, one high repetition piece). Proxy measures of anxiety and engagement were completed by parents/carers in both studies, and facial expressions and finger oximeter measures were also captured in Study 1. Across the two studies both music types had a calming effect compared to baseline, with Study 2 also indicating significantly higher interest, involvement, and enjoyment levels for high repetition music. These findings have implications for the use of music for children with sensory sensitivities in arts programming and therapeutic contexts. • The impact of music on children with sensory sensitivities is under-researched. • We examined if highly repetitive music can help reduce anxiety for these children. • High and low repetitive music both led to equal reductions in anxiety from baseline. • High repetition music also led to significant increases in engagement ratings. • We conclude that Sensory-friendly programs for music can enhance their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theories of art therapy cite the complex triangular relationship of this discipline that includes the therapist-client, client-artwork and therapist-artwork relationships. Yet, despite its importance, this triangular relationship has been insufficiently investigated. In this paper, we describe the development of a tool for the Observation of Art Therapy Relationships (OART) that assesses client-artwork and client-therapist interactions in art therapy based on conceptualizations of Attachment Theory. The development of the OART included three stages: a) An inductive stage in which researchers and experienced art therapists collaborated in defining observable phenomena that may shed light on the nature of the therapist-client and client-artwork relationships; b) A deductive stage, in which the phenomena defined in the inductive stage were incorporated into the structuring of an observational tool. 3. A qualitative examination of the OART in therapeutic settings. Challenges that have arisen and that may indicate the need for further work on the OART are discussed. • We describe the development of the Observation of Art Therapy Relationships (OART) questionnaire. • The OART evaluates closeness and exploration in art therapy. • The OART enables observation of two sides of the therapist-client and client-artwork relationships in art therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Art therapy helps individuals explore their inner world, conflicts, strength, and experiences. It promotes human growth, development, and healing. While art therapy utilizes nonverbal expression as a means of communication, which benefits individuals from traditional and collectivistic societies, it is still novel in the Arab world. This paper aims to review art therapy and its implementation in the Arab world. A scoping review explored the implementation of visual art therapy, specifically in Arab countries. We identified relevant studies from different databases and general Internet searches. The data (n = 27 papers) were summarized and reported following data charting and extraction. Art therapy in the Arab world is present in various disciplines in general psychological support, mainly for trauma-informed interventions. In the 27 studies reviewed, participants reported feeling safe in the sessions, and art was described as a productive way to unmask emotions without violating their sociocultural needs. Art therapy was well accepted and may provide an alternative means of emotion processing. In conducting art therapy interventions with individuals from Arab societies, art therapists may encounter complex cultural, religious, and political issues. Cultural sensitivity and humility should be used to take this into consideration. Art therapists can learn from the above findings to adapt their interventions to the Arab culture and possible with other traditional and collectivistic individuals. • Humans experience art across all cultures. It is non-verbally used to express emotions and heal. • Individuals and collective experiences are expressed through expressive art therapies. • Art therapy uses visual and sensual means to explore emotions without violating cultural norms. • Art therapy developed in the West; the Arab world is still new territory for this expressive therapy. • Art therapy could serve as a valuable therapeutic tool among Arabs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transgender and nonbinary people, whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth, experience substantial mental health disparities. Guidelines for care of transgender and nonbinary people include psychotherapy to affirm one's gender, to explore a new gender identity or expression, and to cope with the effects of stigma and resulting psychological distress. Drawing on theory to inform practice, this paper explores the basis for dance movement therapy with transgender and nonbinary people by considering minority stress (coping with stigma and enhancing resilience), gender affirmation (adapting to physical changes and improving body image), and identity development (exploring new movements and integrating sense of self). This paper discusses how dance movement therapy is applicable from each of these three theoretical perspectives and how it may be put into practice to support the mental health and well-being of transgender and nonbinary people. Dance movement therapy interventions for this population should be theory-informed and developed in collaboration with transgender and nonbinary clients as well as transgender and nonbinary dance movement therapists. Recommendations include additional training for dance movement therapists to increase cultural awareness of transgender and nonbinary populations, to explore their understanding of their own gender, and to identify biases and assumptions around gender identity and expression. • TGNB people experience substantial mental health disparities compared to cisgender peers. • Relevant theory can inform the practice of dance movement therapy with TGNB people. • Minority stress, gender affirmation, and identity development can be explored through DMT. • Therapists should seek training to develop cultural awareness to work with TGNB people. • DMT is a promising intervention to support the mental health and well-being of TGNB people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charting engagement with the work of intersectional feminists, this paper sets out the feminist approaches necessary for informing an ethics of care that art psychotherapy can orient to enable it to be a socially just enterprise. Queer and Black feminists and feminists of color have been central in challenging heteropatriarchal racialized capitalist social structures that have worked to harm and punish women and other marginalized and oppressed people. Their work is combined with a critically informed approach to ethics of care and a set of primary data. The primary data presented comes from a qualitative study about young women and girls' experiences of art psychotherapy. There were 10 participants in the study aged between 13 and 16, each taking part in a one-to-one interview. Data were analyzed using theoretical thematic analysis. This paper proposes that first encounters in art psychotherapy can act as a portal to feminist work on the politics of emotion, affect and the sensory. Such feminist work is crucial for showing why the disconcerting and worrying are virtuous moments of critical feminist knowledge production and agency. • A critical approach to ethics of care is required if care is to be socially just. • Violence against all women and girls globally is historic and ongoing. • Critical feminist affect work can imbue art psychotherapy with a social justice stance. • Entry points to engaging with art psychotherapy are portals to critical feminist work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Art therapy, as a means of self-expression and healing, is used in a variety of clinical and rehabilitation settings. Here, it is tested with a population judged to be involved in terrorism-related activities. This paper presents an extensive review of the art therapy program at Mohammed Bin Nayef Center for Counseling and Care, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The objective of this study is to showcase the use of art therapy in the care and rehabilitation of ex-jihadists, with suggestions for best practices. This paper is the first description in the literature of the efforts of the Saudi government to explore the use of art therapy in counterterrorism. Art therapy outcomes on a population incarcerated for terrorist activities are presented alongside treatment and reconstruction of extreme ideology through art production. We conclude that a successful art therapy program is required within the overall approach to counterterrorism. Further, a strong understanding of the cultural backgrounds of the subjects, along with recommendations for relying upon specific artistic components of the therapeutic process are clearly indicated. According to government sources, together with the other programs offered to ex-jihadists, the art therapy program discussed here, which has been in operation since 2007, has achieved an 86.17% success rate, with (as of January 2015) a 13.83% recidivism rate. This is a strong indication that art therapy is an efficacious approach in counterterrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines a study which sought to understand how art therapists structure their approach to treating people who experience borderline personality disorder features. It outlines the understanding of the condition, controversies around diagnosis and its use by evidence based psychological therapies as a guide for structuring therapy. The paper considers how art therapists might utilise research to improve art therapy for this distressing condition. The authors argue that before undertaking clinical trials, art therapists need to build theory inductively so that there is clarity about what is tested. They surveyed art therapists internationally to try to understand how whether there was consistency in how they structured their approach and received usable description of 226 interventions with over 140 names. The results indicate that most art therapists carefully prepare service users for treatment through sharing a clear understanding of the condition and treatment aims and pay particular attention to the attachment issues involved. The study concludes by suggesting any trial of art therapy with borderline personality disorder features should include these structures in the approach studied. The authors suggest that the existing taxonomy for art therapy does not describe the approach of practitioners take and recommend terminology should reflect structure and not therapist intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All research that investigates therapeutic practice should be conducted with the aim to develop and support good procedures of inquiry. An anti-oppressive practice approach within health research provides a way to systematically examine research procedures and motivations to increase the potential that the resultant research will yield ethical and just results. In this paper two music therapy researchers consider how anti-oppressive practices can address real life problems and be applicable to real life situations; from questions of participation, to developing the research question, recruitment, consent, and further steps of the research process. The goal of this paper is to examine issues arising when considering anti-oppressive practices and healthcare research practices from the perspective of the authors’ experience of music therapy research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper challenges what seems to be a scientific axiom in prospective simulation and memory reconsolidation experiments, namely that projecting ourselves back into the past or forward into the future belongs exclusively to the category of a thought experiment. Using the clinical model of re- and pre-experiencing life episodes in psychodrama, the paper investigates, both conceptually and practically, a move from the imagining of doing to actual doing, from virtual, reproduced in-the-mind versions of experimentation to real, witnessed and executed experiments. Supporting evidence is provided, suggesting that this trend would evoke a unique plethora of neurological and psychological processes, relevant to the world outside the lab, without jeopardizing a general description of the phenomena. On the contrary, recognizing the primacy of the action and interaction would help contextualize cognitive activity, and thus assist scientists and practitioners to achieve their intended goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited research studies examining the core processes involved in facilitating change within Dramatherapy exist. Many papers rely on individual accounts of clinical work and, taken in isolation, potential contributions of these studies remain unrecognised. This research took a grounded theory approach to synthesise individual accounts of Dramatherapy in the literature in order to develop a theory of the core processes at work. A systematic review using an electronic and hand search of key journals identified published articles that contained ‘thick’ descriptions of Dramatherapy sessions. Grounded theory methodology was implemented to generate a theory of the core processes using a systematically applied set of methods linking analysis with data collection. Thirteen eligible papers were identified. The theory constructed from the data proposed a meta-processes model of change. These meta-processes included working in the ‘here and now’, ‘establishing safety’, ‘working alongside’ ‘offering control and choice’ and being ‘actively involved’. The implications of the findings are discussed as are areas for development and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this methodological paper is to describe and apply qualitative content analysis to a psychodynamic art psychotherapy context, and to give an example of the procedures used to analyse pictures and words in one time-limited psychodynamic art psychotherapy session, here named PDT/Scribbling. The art method was used with a female patient. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse one scribble with its amplification together with the patient''s own clarifying words explaining the pictures. In addition, the words spoken before and after scribbling were analysed in order to capture the whole psychotherapeutic process. In the application we coded and categorised colours and elements of the scribbles and amplifications, which together with categories of the patient''s own words before and after scribbling resulted in three sub-themes and an overarching theme: permitting herself to leave a victim position and take charge of her life. The conclusion of this methodological paper is that qualitative content analysis is a meaningful method for analysing pictures and words from psychodynamic art psychotherapy sessions, keeping the manifest messages and the latent meanings in the pictures intact. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents the integration of art therapy in a decolonizing framework of practice used in a project called “Journey Women”. This framework of practice seeks to recognize and deconstruct the impacts of colonization and discrimination of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples and to empower and inform people in their healing journey. “Journey Women” was an art exhibit of large-scale “body-map” images depicting the healing experiences of eight Aboriginal women, created in a three-day arts-based workshop. The collaborative research project between Minwaashin Lodge and Concordia University aimed to gain an understanding of the conditions that contribute or challenge Aboriginal women in their process of healing from violence and the impacts of violence. This paper describes the process of creating body-maps that integrated an art therapy framework with traditional Aboriginal ceremonies of prayer, smudging, drumming, and singing as well as movement and grounding activities, poetry, and art creation. In this article, we discuss how a public exhibit of body-maps acted as a powerful medium of empowerment, a forum for women to be witnessed by the community, and a means for Aboriginal women to act as their own agents of social change and social justice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Much has been written about basic concepts of group theory as applied to group psychotherapy. Though there are many theories, there is agreement about several basic concepts that can be found in groups regardless of the theoretical perspective. Much has also been written regarding how basic concepts of group theory can be found and applied to all kinds of groups, not just psychotherapy groups. This paper focuses on the possibilities of a group theory class in a graduate creative arts therapy program as an optimal setting in which to convey not only understanding of group theory as therapy, but also as an avenue for awareness of social justice, relating to society as a large group. The paper demonstrates the use of movement and art-making as the vehicles to understanding of group theory as it relates to therapy, social, and environmental issues, and will focus on the use of dance/movement therapy and art therapy as vehicles for increasing awareness and effecting change. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper contributes to understanding the experience of forced relocation for children, and offers a new reading of their art, adding concepts of resilience to art analyses, and also contextualizing drawing assessment within a cultural perspective. Forced relocation of people from their homes due to changes in borders, war or natural disasters has been recognized in the literature as a stressor which has affected communities throughout the world. However, the responses of latency-aged children to these stressors have not been sufficiently addressed. In an attempt to fill that gap, this article presents a phenomenological and diagnostic analysis of drawings made by Israeli children aged 7–9 who were evacuated from localities in the Gaza strip area. The drawings indicate that the experience of forced relocation remained a significant one for the children, even 2 years after the event. The children''s drawings reveal the difficulties they experienced, as well as the coping strategies that they used to work through the experience and adjust to the situation. The children included numerous ideological statements in their drawings, which evidently reflect an attempt to understand the meaning of the relocation, and emphasize their group affiliation. As a result, this paper demonstrates that it is important to include the components of ideology, community, and family in evaluations of children''s art work in order to evaluate children''s constructive coping. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Most research in the field of medical clowning looks at humor as the main explanation of the beneficial impact that medical clowns have on hospitalized patients. The present paper attempts to challenge this idea by applying drama therapy role theory to the work of medical clowns. First, both ‘clown’ and ‘patient’ are defined and comprehended from a role perspective. Then, using primarily Landy''s role method and ideas, the authors analyze clinical examples from the actual work of “Sancho” (a medical clown from the Dream Doctor''s Project) by means of role theory. The paper illustrates that besides the typical clown tools and techniques, the medical clown uses role strategies as therapeutic interventions in the interaction with patients. Thus an innovative context for conceptualizing medical clowning is provided, which expands the scope of therapeutic clowning and the use of drama therapy role theory as well. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Community drama provides the recovery capital needed for identity transformation. • The process of recovery is a slow one as those attempting to recover from substance use have complex and often multi-layered problems. • Those marginalised from society face greater barriers to recovery than those with free access to social capital. • Community drama contexts, provide a safe recovery environment for those recovering from addiction. This study aimed to explore the experiences of six performers following their engagement in a community arts intervention called Staging Recovery. Staging Recovery is a three year drama project, delivered by The Geese Theatre Company, working with people marginalised within society and recovering from substance abuse. The study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to collect and analyse the data as IPA allows the exploration of sensitive and unique experiences; more so, it encapsulates the voices and experiences of participants, ensuring they are central to the phenomenon under examination. Nine themes emerged from the analysis, with five of these relating to Social Identity Theory. For the purpose of this paper, discussion centres on one theme: A Changed Identity is experienced through Staging Recovery but the Addicted Self is ever present. This theme highlights the identity transformation made by participants as a result of engaging in Staging Recovery; however, it also provides a spotlight to the inequalities and social barriers experienced by participants that continue to thwart their efforts to change and thus compromising efforts to true identity transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) provided mental protection from real-life difficulties. • Drawn boundaries demarcated: MD and real-life. • A sense of emptiness or malfunction emanated from representations of real-life. • Drawings of MD presented lively and rewarding themes. • A much richer palette of colors was applied to representations of MD. This paper presents an inquiry of art products produced by 9 individuals with maladaptive daydreaming who provided pictorial and verbal descriptions of both their condition and themselves. We found that the perceived benefits of maladaptive daydreaming for our respondents included the ownership of a self-controlled means of emotional regulation that served as protection from grim external and internal realities combined with the gratifying joy of an easily accessible internal entertainment mechanism. Although such daydreaming was depicted as an intensely rewarding experience, there was also an allusion to diminished sense of control over the flow of fantasies. The self in the artwork of participants was often represented as a fragmented experience of duality: an inert, and an emotionally dismal, dreary and dysfunctional sense of existence in reality compared to an emotionally rich, lively and pleasurable experience associated with their gratifying states of consciousness. This schism was pictorially conveyed through: (1) graphic boundaries that demarcated the two distinct states of consciousness, (2) a richer palette of colors applied to represent the inner world and (3) thematically, an inner world represented as more busy and rewarding compared to a sense of emptiness or malfunction that emanates from representations of reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A holistic approach to enhancing health among people living with HIV is needed. • An existential-phenomenological framework can respond to existential conflicts. • The effects of an expressive arts group therapy are identified by this mixed-methods study. People living with HIV (PLHIV) are likely to encounter existential conflicts, while stigma is a major stressor leading to poorer psychological well-being and social isolation. Aside from medical treatment, diverse psychotherapeutic approaches that guide PLHIV to reconstruct a meaningful life are needed. This paper reports on the process and efficacy of an eight-session, existential expressive arts group therapy program developed for PLHIV in Hong Kong. Eight HIV-positive male participants were recruited and completed the therapy. Using an existential-phenomenological framework, the therapy aimed to facilitate participants to make existential meaning from a creative process, which in turn help them overcome challenges and enhance their well-being in the domains of physical health, psychological health and social relationships. A mixed-methods study design was employed. Qualitative data were obtained through clinical observation by the therapist intern, participants' written reflection, and semi-structured interviews with the participants. Quality of life, affects, and group cohesion were measured by self-report questionnaires. The results showed that most participants found a way to make existential meaning and benefited from increased quality of life and creativity. They displayed significant improvement in the physical health domain of the quality of life (Z = −1.980, p =.048, r = 0.50) and positive affect (Z = −2.103, p =.035, r = 0.53). The findings contribute to the field of HIV care using an integrated arts approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) may improve social interaction, communication and cognitive functions. • DMT seems to increase quality of life and expressiveness. • Methodological quality varies from low to high. • Insufficient evidence exists that DMT improves mental health disorders. • More high quality studies on the efficacy of DMT in older age psychiatry are needed. This systematic review assessed the published literature on dance movement therapy interventions with adults aged 60 years and older with a mental health disorder. Our objective was to identify published studies of the effects of DMT in older age psychiatry and to critically appraise methodological quality of the included studies. We searched the databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and PSYNDEX, and Google Scholar. We also searched the reference list of relevant papers in order to identify publications that were not found through the initial database search. The reviewers independently critically appraised all full text articles that met our inclusion criteria. A final 16 studies met the inclusion criteria: nine were primary studies (one randomized controlled trial, three quasi-experimental studies, and five qualitative studies) and seven were secondary studies (systematic reviews). Dementia was the subject in 15 studies, and depression in one, reflecting a possible bias in the literature. The methodological quality of the primary studies was lower than for the secondary studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A case of simultaneous pregnancy within art therapy supervision is described. • A reflective developmental approach to supervision is emphasized in which support, mutual inquiry, and education are critical. • Issues of pregnancy disclosure, boundaries, and self-care are examined. • Two case examples discuss the impact of therapist pregnancy on art therapy with adolescents. This paper explores a unique circumstance of simultaneous pregnancy within an art therapy supervisory relationship, and the impact of the supervisee therapist's pregnancy on treatment with adolescents in art therapy. At the time of their parallel pregnancy journey, the co-authors served as art therapists, with the first author supervising the second author, at a residential treatment facility for adolescents with histories of severe trauma, abuse, and neglect. The existing literature is relatively silent on the topic of the art therapist's pregnancy, as well as the impact of pregnancy on the clinical supervision relationship. Therefore, the authors utilized a reflective developmental model of supervision in which support, mutual inquiry, and education were critical in navigating the unique challenges specific to the three trimesters of pregnancy. Special attention is paid to description of practical issues that arose; including pregnancy disclosure, managing boundaries both with clients and in supervision, and maintaining self-care. Two case examples illustrate the impact of the supervisee therapist's pregnancy on relational dynamics with adolescents, and client artwork. As women comprise the majority of practicing art therapists, the authors conclude that there may be a critical need for increased research, guidance, and support for art therapists in the under-explored area of the impact of pregnancy on therapeutic practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Service Members (SMs) perceived the writing processes as therapeutic, a coping skill, and enjoyable. • SMs reported mostly positive emotions during and after the writing intervention. • Computer analysis of notes took less time than human analysis but was not of comparable richness or nuance. • Computer analysis indicated work and social topics were the SMs' most prominent content theme areas. • Computer analysis of SMs' actual writing pieces may provide deeper insights into content and themes. Background: Therapeutic writing has been shown to improve both physical health and emotional well-being. This paper examines the usefulness of clinical notes as a data source, and presents two different analyses of individual clinical notes of therapeutic writing group sessions: analysis performed by a person and analysis by a computer-based program (Pennebaker et al., 2015). The therapeutic writing sessions were offered during the second week of treatment at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) as part of an integrative care model for service members (SMs) with traumatic brain injury and underlying psychological conditions to include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Method: Therapeutic writing sessions were facilitated in the art therapy studio at the NICoE. The sessions were documented in the military healthcare system's patient record application by the art therapist and art therapy interns at the NICoE. Clinical notes were informed by SM self-report surveys and clinician observations. Notes from May 2012 to 2015 and were pulled and coded manually for emerging themes, then separately analyzed by a computer software text content analysis program (Pennebaker et al., 2015). Results: Overall, SMs reported more positive than negative, neutral, or mixed emotions during and after the therapeutic writing experience. Some reported a change from negative to positive emotions through the writing process, and many described experiencing relief during and after sessions. SMs wrote on a wide range of topics. Most SMs kept their writing pieces, although some destroyed them or shared them with others, and a few SMs gifted the pieces. Computerized-based analysis (Pennebaker et al., 2015) indicated that work and social were the most prominent content theme areas. It also showed that positive emotions were more evident than negative emotions in the clinical notes and that the focus of the writing pieces was primarily on the present rather than on the past or the future. Implications: Many SMs perceived the therapeutic writing experience as therapeutic, a relevant coping skill, and enjoyable. Some, however, preferred to work on art therapy projects they had begun in previous sessions (such as mask-making) during the writing sessions. The computer-based analysis of the clinical notes took much less time than the human analysis, but it did not produce results of comparable richness or nuance. Computer-based analysis of the actual therapeutic writing pieces may provide deeper insights into the content and themes that emerged during this therapeutic intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper compares therapeutic clowning and drama therapy, starting with a brief survey of the development of medical clowning as a profession, a definition of the field, and a claim to its ancient link with drama therapy. It then proceeds to analyze four vignettes describing the work of a medical clown in a hospital, and examining them through the lens of drama therapy concepts and theory. The paper shows that the clown''s working techniques can be conceptualized using drama therapeutic models and theory, and that using this approach as a method of analysis can serve to enhance the body of knowledge of the rapidly growing profession of therapeutic clowning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights • Therapists should practice as ninja improvisers in the therapy room. • A typology of improvisation tendencies of therapists (initiator/reactor and fast/slow) is presented. • A classification of relational moves (vertical or horizontal) is presented. • Recommendations for ninja therapist practice and training are offered. Abstract This article presents a new typology of improvisational concepts that can be used to widen the therapists’ perspective and interventions. Utilizing the metaphor of the therapist as a "ninja" and the importance of a spontaneous co-created encounter, this paper offers a taxonomy of improvisational tendencies (initiator/reactor, fast/slow), together with a classification of two possible relational moves: horizontal or vertical offers. This terminology can help therapists increase cooperation, creativity, flexibility and vitality in the therapeutic process. It can also aid clinicians and supervisors better understand and work through impasses and resistance. Clinical examples illustrate the taxonomy and its uses in therapy. Recommendations for practice and training are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of some key aspects of anthroposophical music therapy (AnMt) 1 [1] For lack of an official abbreviation, this abbreviation was created by the author of this paper. including two expert practitioner perspectives about this widely practiced approach. AnMt''s theoretical complexity and the features of its practices are endeavoured to be revealed. As a qualified non-anthroposophical music therapist who prior to her training worked in an anthroposophical community alongside AnMt practitioners, the author proposes to use this article to provide an information bridge between the AnMt tradition and other music therapy approaches in which the tenets of AnMt are little known. Some of the concepts described here include a. the use of intervals and planetary scales in AnMt, b. the diagnostic process, and c. deliberations about the prescriptive side of the AnMt approach. A close examination of the literature along with excerpts from interviews recorded with expert practitioners in AnMt is intended to reveal and introduce some of the basic tenets of the anthroposophical music therapy approach. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Art therapy is a growing field of interest in the care and maintenance of quality of life for persons with dementia. This paper describes research that had arts therapists participate in the identification of desirable features and functionalities of a computer-based tool for use in arts therapy with older adults who have dementia. The study targets the needs of art therapists and their clients, with the eventual aim of creating devices or software tools that will enhance art therapists’ work with persons who have dementia. This paper describes the first two phases of the study: a multi-national survey, and the development of prototype devices based on the survey''s results. First, results from the survey of creative arts therapists are presented along with an analysis of needs, practices, and ideas about technology. The paper then presents the three prototypes of potential art therapy technologies that were developed based on the findings from the survey. This research shows both a need for technological solutions in the domain of art therapy for persons with dementia, as well as a general acceptance and enthusiasm for technology as a clinical tool for practicing creative arts therapies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes a phenomenological approach to art therapy based on hermeneutic grounded theory methodology. The study investigated the lived experience of art therapy with international students from 10 world regions. Nineteen international students from an Australian university took part in 10 weeks of group art therapy. Data were hermeneutically analyzed across participants’ artworks, behaviour and spoken and written narratives and core themes were developed for each participant. Where verbalizing in English as a second language (ESL) was often laborious, the aesthetic dimensions of participants’ artworks served as both an anchor and signpost for organizing thinking and expressing emotions. Furthermore, the images provided a context for exploring autonomy, identity and personal growth in relation to sojourn adjustment. This paper illustrates a method for analyzing synergistic processes in art therapy where translating thoughts and feelings into tangible form functions as a way of knowing through the universal language of human experience. Importantly it adds to our understanding of suitable counseling methods for international student adjustment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes the introduction of art therapy into Saudi Arabia. A brief history of art therapy in Saudi Arabia is outlined, focusing on the current approaches of art therapy practice in medical rehabilitation. King Fahad Medical City is highlighted as a pioneering healthcare institute that accepted art therapy as a medical profession by incorporating it into its rehabilitation procedures for its inpatient population. The paper discusses the factors that helped art therapy to integrate into the program at King Fahad Medical City, as well as four case summaries illustrating the author''s experiences integrating art therapy into rehabilitation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes a theoretical model for conceptualizing art therapy through an integrative multilayered prism that ecologically “layers” dynamic, humanistic, systemic, and social understandings of art, therapy, and people. The result is a systemic but multifaceted model for the teaching of art therapy and the implementation of its theory. The “depth” of art therapy is the multifaceted character of art that enables multiple interpretations simultaneously, concurrent with the eclectic and complex realities of today''s clients. This paper presents a theoretical model and also demonstrates different systems of its application. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents a model for improving the effectiveness of individual art therapy with children who behave aggressively. It addresses two major challenges. First, these children often present the therapist with several dilemmas, such as how to respond when faced with symbolic or direct expressions of aggression, and how to establish a treatment relationship when clients arouse strong emotions in the therapist. Second, when working in educational settings, art therapists often question whether they should strive to integrate themselves into the school and, if so, what should be their role with teachers and parents? The model presented here emerged from a phenomenological study that included a survey of a large sample of Israeli art therapists and in-depth follow-up interviews with two sub-samples of therapists, who treated aggressive children and whose cases showed the most and least improvement. The study, which focused on the relation between treatment outcomes and therapists’ practices, perceptions, and experiences, yielded a conceptual model for effective treatment. The model highlights the dual principal of conveying acceptance and directing toward change, which is applied on three levels: the child, teachers and parents, and the therapist. The paper presents the model and suggestions for its implementation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Empirical poetry therapy articles were systematically reviewed. • Results were synthesised to create a framework of the mechanisms and effects of poetry therapy. • This framework was summarised as a logic model, detailing how the mechanisms produce the effects. • Five tasks are described: Engaging, Feeling, Exploring, Connecting and Transforming ("EFECT"). • The model is presented in detailed and simplified form to suit different professional needs. Poetry therapy is a promising but heterogeneous and under-evidenced form of creative arts therapy. Theories of change have been proffered but are model-specific and poorly evidenced in the empirical literature. The aim of this paper, then, was to provide a united understanding of how poetry therapy operates to guide future research and practice. To do this, empirical literature exploring mechanisms of poetry therapy across theoretical traditions was systematically retrieved, reviewed, and synthesised. A systematic search of six databases yielded 554 papers, of which 14 met the inclusion criteria, spanning individual and group approaches. Mechanisms and effects were extracted and synthesised into a governing framework and logic model, and stakeholder consultation was used to validate results. In total, 25 primary mechanisms and 54 associated effects were identified. These were synthesised into a logic model characterised by five primary tasks: Engaging, Feeling, Exploring, Connecting, and Transferring ("EFECT"). These tasks were associated with multifarious benefits, apparently impacting cognitive, emotional and behavioural domains. Future research could now seek to test this model empirically. It might then be used to guide a united, rigorous research programme, helping to bring poetry therapy into evidence-based policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper describes the use of a creative genogram that combines the client''s objective and subjective phenomenological experience of his family constellation. The creative genogram includes personal symbols, colors, and shapes, as well as varying the overall page designs and formats of the basic family genogram. Taken together, the objective and subjective attributes of the genograms create a group narrative of the impact of culturally embedded identities on shared familial experiences. The creative genogram technique integrates a contextualized or “objective” experience of reality with a hermeneutic or “subjective” understanding of that experience. Thus, this interdisciplinary approach helps to counteract the flooding of difficult external realities within social work and family therapy, as well as the exclusive focus on subjective reactions within dynamic and art therapy that ignores the social context. The paper describes how creative genograms were applied through personal examples derived from a group of social work students. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Important elements for art therapy assessments include the placement of the subject matter of a drawing on the paper. The placement is classified into 1 of 10 categories, a usual and 9 unusual ones. Similar to other elements in a drawing such as the color, theme, line, shape, structural organization, etc., the determination of placement category encounters the problem of human raters’ subjectivity. This paper delineates the development of a computer system to determine the placement category automatically and objectively, applying the digital image processing methods of color recognition and edge detection. The system divides the entire page into several regions and considers the distribution of edge pixels in each region as the criteria for the corresponding placement category. The proposed computer procedure can provide clear, accurate and quantitative information on the placement category. The information is also useful for the determination of space usage and the details of a drawing. The computer system is verified through case studies. It can become a useful tool and an aid for human experts’ ratings in art therapy assessments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper describes the process and impact of community progressive mural-making in an HIV/AIDS outpatient clinic. The words and drawings in these murals were the spontaneous expressions of the patients, their families, and the staff at the clinic. Six murals were created over a period of seven months and were housed in the lobby of the clinic. The project revealed unique insights into the inner experiences of the individual patients, and into the culture of the HIV/AIDS clinic community. This paper highlights the parallels between group dynamics, the group art therapy process, and the development of a community culture through the creation a symbolic therapeutic group in a progressive mural. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although phototherapy has been around in one form or another since the advent of the camera it has only recently, with the wider use and lower prices of computers and digital editing equipment, taken on more universal interest within the art therapy community as a viable new modality for art therapists who have not, in the past, had the resources available to implement a more traditional film-based phototherapy component in their practice. This paper demonstrates the integration of digital media into the training of phototherapists within graduate-level art therapy training programs. While the examples and illustrations given here are of graduate students enrolled in masters-level art therapy training programs, these exercises may be modified for use with various client populations. This paper addresses the need of those creative art therapists who are currently in practice and have not had the advantage of benefiting from the advances in digital technology that currently enrolled students have had. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]