Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Art Therapists’ Familiarity With And Beliefs About Twelve-Step Addiction Recovery Groups, David Brickhouse

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This research proposed to study what art therapists know and believe about twelve-step addiction recovery groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), and Cocaine Anonymous (CA). The aim was to better understand the field’s familiarity with 12-step recovery, identify misconceptions about 12-step groups, and assess the comfortability of incorporating 12-step philosophy into clinical practice. Findings include that art therapists integrate 12-step into art making, are likely to refer clients to 12-step groups, and that higher familiarity with 12-step was associated with more positive perceptions and greater integration with clinical practice. The study participants also agreed that accessibility was …

Understanding Clay And Its Media Properties Through The Expressive Therapies Continuum, Anne Geisz

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

For centuries, clay has been used by civilizations to hold food, memories, and records of history. To this day, it is used by engineers, hobbyists, artists, art therapists and many more. This art based, heuristic study explores clay through the researcher’s ongoing practice with the material, within the framework of the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) and examines how its unique media properties make it such a versatile material for both ceramic artists and art therapists. Results exhibit these unique media properties and clay’s ability to reach all levels of the ETC through collected data of images, journals, critiques, and notes. …

The Role Of Acculturation In The Professional Identity Of Art Therapy And Counseling International Students, Ana Marcela Tobar Chavez

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

In a country of immigrants, the concept of acculturation needs to be familiar to almost any professional in the mental health field and it is a reality for immigrants and international students. As international and immigrant students continue to join the Art Therapy Counseling profession, it is important to understand how acculturation plays a role in the development of their counseling professional identity. Unlike most master’s students in the art therapy counseling profession, international and immigrant students go through unique experiences such as being born and raised in a different country with difference in cultures, languages, and immigration statuses that …

Communication Beyond Words, Anna Brough

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This research explores the definition and use of nonverbal communication within the therapeutic setting and the treatment of selective mutism by clinical providers. A phenomenological research method was used to interview three art therapists and two therapists without art therapy training. These interviews were used to explore their understanding and awareness of nonverbal communication within the context of providing treatment to clients with selective mutism. The analysis of participants’ discussions of their experiences of treating those with selective mutism revealed four major themes: Nonverbal Communication, Therapeutic Presence and Alliance, Art Materials and Interventions, and Culture and Society. Findings suggest no …

The Relationship Between Eating Disorders, Attachment Styles And The Uses Of Art Materials, Tsai-Yu Chen

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

Previous studies showed that both eating disorder (ED) behaviors and attachment styles (ASs) could reflect on individuals’ uses of art materials. This mixed methods study aimed to explore the correlation between ED diagnoses and ASs, investigate clients’ selection of and familiarity with art materials, as well as understand how clients’ self-reports of media interactions match clinical observations. Participants were adults receiving residential care in an ED facility in Midwestern United States. Data were collected through surveys, chart reviews, and discussions with the participants’ therapist. The results of this study found a high prevalence (85%) of insecure attachment in the population. …

Melting Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder/ Premenstrual Exacerbation Symptoms With Metalsmithing: A Group Process, Maureen Bella Russo

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

People experiencing Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder/Premenstrual Exacerbation, PMDD/PME, frequently live with debilitating symptoms that can arrest their daily life functions (Barker-Smith, 2020). Finding art to process and transform painful emotions that align with PMDD/PME hormonal depression/anxiety, may assist in supporting people to keep choosing life, especially when these art practices involve group settings and community artmaking (Phillips & Rosal, 1989; Robb, 2022). Metalsmithing requires significant cognitive awareness and promotes mind/body connections in its elemental art form (Carlson, 2015). This proposal outlines a group process involving 8-12 people who will receive a beginner’s metalsmithing, 12-week studio art program at Hyde Park Arts …

A Modified Dbt-Informed Art Therapy Group Curriculum With A Focus On Neurodiversity Acceptance, Megan Moyer

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

Historically, therapy methods made to support neurodivergent individuals have been focused on reducing “challenge behaviors” and modifying behavior to societal standards. Simultaneously, many behavior modification therapies neglect the emotional well-being of the individual. As neurodiversity grows to be accepted as an aspect of diversity, so too must therapy methods change to promote skill building in line with the cultural values and strengths of neurodivergent individuals and promote social-emotional well-being. This group therapy curriculum poses as one such possibility to this change by utilizing DBT and Art Therapy in a group psychoeducation format.

Art As Experienced By A Female Combat Veteran Using The El Duende Process Painting., Bonita Owen

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This single-participant phenomenological case study seeks to determine how a female combat veteran experiences art therapy. The case study participant is a female veteran who served in Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. While painting on a single canvas, the participant followed Miller’s El Duende process painting procedure (2012) and kept a written and pictorial journal of the experience. The research involved five sessions during which the participant annotated her thoughts and feelings on the experiential expressions chart for each session. These charts were analyzed to identify the mechanism of change in art therapy for the participant. The participant’s journals indicated …

Adverse Effects Of Early Exposure To Pornography And The Utilization Of Art Therapy, Meghan Potts

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

Pornography is not a new phenomenon in our culture or world. With the expansion of the affordability, accessibility, and anonymity of pornography, demand and consumption rates have also escalated, along with the adverse impact associated with this growth (Coopersmith, 2006 as cited by Dines, 2017). This two-year grant proposal seeks to focus its efforts on serving children, the population being exposed to this widespread phenomenon (Wright, Paul, et al., 2021). The full-time art therapist will carry out trauma-informed prevention and intervention methods to advocate for the mental and physical health of children in individual, relational, and community contexts. This will …

Art Therapy: Mechanisms Of Change And Identity: A Heuristic Study, Kirsten O'Loughlin

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

The aim of this arts based heuristic study was to uncover emergent themes through an intensive immersion in clay work to deepen my own embodiment and understanding of my identity as an art therapist in training and artist. As I moved through the immersion process, I experienced several mechanisms of change often theorized as reasons why art therapy works. By experiencing these mechanisms of change on a personal level, I have strengthened my ability to understand how these mechanisms work and their potential effects on clients. This has led to a better understanding and acceptance of my identity and the …

Art Bibliotherapy: An Integrative Approach To Art Therapy And Bibliotherapy, Haven Wright

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

Art Therapy and Bibliotherapy are both subfields in the creative/expressive arts world of therapeutic practice. Individually, art therapy and bibliotherapy have unique attributes that have the potential to improve a client’s overall therapeutic outcome. However, in pursuit of evidence-based practice, art therapy and bibliotherapy could benefit from further high-quality replicable studies. An exploration of the current research and emergent shared themes were undertaken. A single participant case study demonstrated Art Bibliotherapy in practice. Participant outcomes were increased emotional regulation, increased positive experience in therapy sessions, and increased positive self-esteem.

An Extended Literature Review Exploring How Relational Cultural Therapy And Emotion Recognition Impact The Therapeutic Alliance, Prairie Boschulte

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This research explores existing literature involving the role of Relational Cultural Therapy and emotion recognition on the therapeutic alliance. This exploration is accomplished through an extended literature review focusing specifically on emotion recognition, RCT, and the therapeutic alliance, with an additional focus on art therapy. The themes discussed center around emotional expression and recognition, rupture and repair in the therapeutic relationship, and connection, disconnection, and mutual empathy through a relational-cultural lens. Themes and patterns were identified within this area of study and how this field of research has developed over time. This study found support for therapist emotion recognition abilities …

Exploring Challenges And Triumphs Within The Transgender Community Through Comics-Based Research, Carly Caldwell

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

Transgender people are marginalized and pathologized within our society, which leaves transgender individuals vulnerable to numerous negative outcomes. The minority stress model describes the factors experienced by marginalized communities contribute to adverse outcomes (Meyer, 2015). Health care professionals are often not properly equipped to serve the needs of transgender individuals due to marginalization and pathologization. Used to challenge harmful stereotypes, as a form of cultural resistance, and to incite social change comic books and zines have been used as forms of expression for individuals with marginalized identities. Through the creation of a comic book, I aimed to educate others, encourage …

Promoting Secure Attachment In Parent-Child Dyads: A Head Start Approach, Summer Annette Bradley

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This grant proposal focuses on a partnership with SIUE Head Start centers in providing educational child-rearing resources, community building and parent-child dyad work to promote a more secure attachment in parent-child relationships. This proposed art therapy program will serve up to fourteen parent and child dyads within an academic year period at the estimated cost of $91,005. This program utilizes the existing Head Start staff members and enrolled families who have already expressed the need for attachment-based work.

SIUE Head Start currently serves 1,181 students who are 3-5 years of age under the curriculum and program outline of the National …

Death Anxiety, Artmaking And The Facilitation Of Death Discourse, Heather Conley

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

Discussion about death, known as death discourse, has been historically limited to the confines of the palliative care, elderly and hospice arenas (Bradshaw, 1996; Granek, 2013; Safrai, 2013; Zimmerman, 2012). This study examined the impact of artmaking on facilitating death discourse in college-aged students from a midwestern United States campus. A mixed methods design was implemented in which participants completed the Communication Apprehension about Death Scale (CADS; Carmack & DeGroot, 2016), an artmaking directive addressing feelings about death, followed by a Post-Artmaking Reflection about their artwork. Following a 10-day time period after the artmaking session, participants were re-administered the CADS …

Assessing The Need For Mental Health Interventions Within The Law Enforcement Community, Lizzi Varga Reinard

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This research explored mental health interventions within the police. There is a need for mental health in law enforcement (O’Hara, 2018; Blue Help, 2019; Waters & Ussery, 2007; Mohandie & Hatchert, 1999; Miller, 1999; Violanti, 2010). Having been a law enforcement officer myself, I have experienced the stigma and the need of mental health care. I used a cross-sectional survey design to obtain further information on police officers in a Midwest county in the United States to assess the need for mental health interventions. I created response artwork prior to obtaining the survey results (to help assess and sort through …

Examining Black Art Therapy Graduate Students' Experiences With Racial Battle Fatigue, Marilyn Holmes

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

ABSTRACT Examining Black Art Therapy Graduate Student’s Experiences with Racial Battle Fatigue by Marilyn Holmes Chairperson: Jayashree George, DA, ATR-BC, LMFT, SEP Racial Battle Fatigue (RBF) is a term used to describe the psychological and physiological symptoms Black students experience after repeated exposure to microaggressions in higher academic settings (Smith, Yosso, & Solorzano, 2006). In this study, I sought to explore the specific experiences with RBF of current and former Black art therapy in their graduate programs and supervision. Supervision is an essential and necessary aspect of art therapy education that involves power dynamics that can be complicated by race. …

A Pilot Project Of Art And Eating Disorders: A Self-Advocacy Campaign Through Video Narratives, Sarah Pray

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This pilot project of Art and Eating Disorders was approved by The Emily Program Foundation (TEPF) (Emily Program Foundation, n.d.), a 501(c) (3) nonprofit working to eliminate eating disorders through advocacy, social outreach, and collaboration with community partners. TEPF recruited five artists. Artists were interviewed by Sarah Pray and artwork digitally recorded at various locations, filmed and edited by videographer, Eve Daniels. Artists brought artwork and other creative work related to their recovery. The resulting videos were uploaded to the TEPF website (www.theemilyprogramfoundation.org) weekly. The goal of the pilot project was to measure the project's ability to document …

How Are Art Therapists Utilizing The Theory Of Meaning Making In Trauma Treatment?, Carrie C. Critser

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This purpose of this research study was to explore if and how art therapists utilize the theory of meaning making in trauma treatment. A secondary aim was to investigate art therapist’s perspectives and application of the theory of posttraumatic growth. Semi-structured interviews were used to investigate how twelve art therapists conceptualized trauma treatment, meaning making and posttraumatic growth. Study participants were all female, located in a wide variety of mental health settings across the United States, with experience spanning four to 34 years. Major findings included that while nine out of twelve participants found meaning making was important to healing …

How Are Therapeutic Professionals Interpreting Ethics In Practice With Migrant Clients?, Madeline A. Brenner

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

The research study aimed to understand the praxis of mental health professionals working with immigrant and refugee populations in relation to ethical guidelines and agency protocols. Through practice-led inquiry, seven mental health professionals were interviewed from differing therapeutic backgrounds and orientations; including Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Social Work, Counseling, and Art Therapy. The researcher sought to identify how theory of therapeutic professionals differ, where professionals are engaging in culturally competent practice and what impact this has on the therapeutic relationship. Participants identified the key components of a positive therapeutic relationship include trust, cultural competency, approach, presence, as well as …

Sense Of Self And Relational Connections Through The Use Of Textile Arts, Lisa Thompson-Gibson

Art Therapy Counseling Final Research Projects

This thesis explores the use of textile arts to inform sense of self and authenticity in developing growth fostering relationships. Through narrative inquiry, 11 textile artists were interviewed to explore the question of how relational cultural theory (RCT) and textile arts can inform a sense of self and authenticity for use in art therapy settings. Themes in the research findings included an understanding of how participants originally became involved in textiles, their approach in the creative process, their development of relational connections with others, and how they repair relational disconnections through textile work. Relational cultural theory provided the theoretical framework …