Art Therapy Commons^™

Flow, Creativity And Autism Spectrum Disorder: Creatively Supporting Development And Pro-Social Behavior In Children With Asd, Mehdi Raoufi

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review is an analysis of the literature exploring the use of expressive arts modalities with children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), with a focus on emotional regulation and behavior modification. Historically, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has been the standard in terms of behavior modification for this population, but current research and qualitative inquiries suggested that members of this population need more support in emotional regulation and communication than ABA is able to provide. Using an intermodal arts-based method developmentally promotes social and communication abilities in children with ASD. Further, channeling stereotypic behaviors into creative flow can regulate, …

The Parallels Between Art Therapy And Christianity: Integrating Identities As A Christian And An Art Therapist, Kendal Hansen

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Therapists knowledge of their personal beliefs is extremely beneficial to individual’s working in the field of art therapy. Therapists are better able to serve their clients when they have a clear understanding of themselves and their biases. The writer of this thesis identifies strongly as an art therapist and as a Christian. To better understand how the two strongest parts of her identity integrated, this thesis explored the parallels between Christianity and art therapy by reviewing the literature and facilitating an arts-based qualitative study. The literature suggested that art therapy can be effective with various populations within the Christian category. …

The Predictors Of Juvenile Recidivism: Testimonies Of Adult Students 18 Years And Older Exiting From Alternative Education, La Toshia Palmer

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive, qualitative study was to identify and describe the importance of the predictors of juvenile recidivism and the effectiveness of efforts to prevent/avoid juvenile recidivism as perceived by previously detained, arrested, convicted, and/or incarcerated adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education in Northern California. A second purpose was to explore the types of support provided by alternative schools and the perceived importance of the support to avoid recidivism according to adult students 18 years of age and older exiting from alternative education.

Methodology: This qualitative, descriptive research design identified …

Rhythmic Movements And Feeling States, Melanie Johnson

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study was conducted to test the validity of a theoretical framework in developmental psychology of body movement analysis, the Kestenberg Movement Profile (KMP). Motor patterns associated with needs and foundations for affect expression, the tension flow rhythms (TFRs), were examined. Recent research examined the validity of the TFRs in nonclinical adults and found preliminary support for some of the KMP’s assumptions associating smooth (indulging) rhythms with indulgent affects and sharp (fighting) movements with assertive or aggressive affects. This study aimed to test the TFRs associated with the first two years of development—the sucking, biting, twisting, and strain/release rhythms. The …

A Qualitative Study Of Asylum Seekers Experience As Mentees With The Welcoming The Stranger Program, Deborah H. W. Hamilton

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

Asylum seekers are foreign nationals who enter the United States legally fleeing danger in their home country. Over 26,000 individuals were granted asylum in 2015, with 3.4% of the State of Maine’s population identifying as immigrants. Portland Maine’s General Assistance (GA) office reports nearly 40% of GA recipients were visa holders seeking asylum during fiscal year 2016. Asylum seekers arrive with psychological and physical burdens and then face hurdles trying to gain legal status while attempting to get their basic needs met in the social service systems. Organizations have been created on a grassroots level to provide support and bypass …

Complicated Grief And Art Therapy, Rachel Brandoff

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

Complicated grief (CG) has come to be a common enough occurrence in mental health treatment to warrant research, literature, and discussion of markers, causes, prevalence, symptoms, measures, and treatment protocols. Art therapy presents one possible mode of treatment for individuals suffering from CG, and yet few art therapists know about CG or have training in this area. A systematic review of art therapy programs and educational requirements showed no current standards or training requirements for grief or CG. Art therapists are master’s trained clinicians who work with people with a variety of mental health challenges, and training in CG may …

Interns Matter: Maximizing Integration Of Interns Into Community Agencies, Valerie Garcia

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Hope Services is a non-profit agency serving individuals with developmental disabilities in six counties. Over the years, there have been many agencies that have formed connections with Hope Services. One of these collaborative partnerships has been with CSU Monterey Bay’s (CSUMB) integration of interns through their field placement program. However, recently former Hope Services South District Manager, Greg Dinsmore, witnessed a lack of utilization and integration of interns across all Hope Services agencies. Through firsthand experience as a mentor, he witnessed the benefits of utilizing interns and saw the need for further advocacy and support for the integration of interns …

Community Art And The Role Of An Art Therapist: An Autoethnographic Inquiry, Casey Ann Mcdaniel

EVMS School of Health Professions Master's Level Capstones, Projects and Papers

The field of art therapy lacks sufficient research support in the role of an art therapist within community art. Literature exists that addresses the potential therapeutic effect the engagement of community art can have on the community. Literature even suggests the method of how a therapist should enter a community. However, no literature exists exploring the role or experience of the art therapist when engaging in community arts. A community based art experience was explored through an autoethnographic self-study aimed to explore the phenomenon of working with a community (outside of the traditional clinical setting), to explore and assess the …

Black, Woman And Alive: Black Women’S Practices Of Nontraditional Healing And Freedom, Hythia Phifer

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This thesis explores the implications of nontraditional healing methods on Black women’s psychological and holistic health. It includes a critical literature review of existing research by Black Feminist theorists and other Black women scholars on Black women who use nontraditional healing methods, particularly to overcome the violent and pervasive experience of gendered racism and misogynoir. A brief autoethnographic analysis of my own art-based practice is included, with ties to the effectiveness of Literature and Poetry as a nontraditional healing method used by Black women. This thesis is my attempt to create space for myself in academia, in social science, in …

Bleeding Ink: Creativity In Grief For Resilience, Gabriel E. Sayre

Senior Honors Projects

A venomous void pierces the present.

Emanating from the past, echoing to the future.

Seething sensations burrowing beneath the bone.

Seek a road, to not corrode.

Scribe or scribble, Scavenge salvation.

Settle cement of a new foundation.

Faceless fears fading,

weakening woes waning,

mending mentality.

Internally Inspired.

Transformation Transpired.

Art Therapy Assessment: A Study Of Males’ Bird’S Nest Drawings, Katherine A. Efimetz

EVMS School of Health Professions Master's Level Capstones, Projects and Papers

Attachment patterns in childhood have implications throughout an individual’s life. Relationship quality with the primary caregiver is said to influence how people interact with others and the world. Studies by prolific researchers such as John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth set the stage for continued research on attachment theory, and thus have lead others into investigating this most heavily researched subject in psychology. Attachment patterns have been identified through several assessments. Art therapy assessments may prove to be useful in differentiating patterns of attachment via graphic indicators present in drawings. The Bird’s Nest Drawing, developed by Kaiser (1996), is such an …

A Theory Of Veteran Identity, Travis L. Martin

Theses and Dissertations--English

More than 2.6 million troops have deployed in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Still, surveys reveal that more than half feel “disconnected” from their civilian counterparts, and this feeling persists despite ongoing efforts, in the academy and elsewhere, to help returning veterans overcome physical and mental wounds, seek an education, and find meaningful ways to contribute to society after taking off the uniform. This dissertation argues that Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans struggle with reassimilation because they lack healthy, complete models of veteran identity to draw upon in their postwar lives, a problem they’re working through collectively …

Recovery From Design, Cassandra J. Ellison

Theses and Dissertations

Through research, inquiry, and an evaluation of Recovery By Design, a ‘design therapy’ program that serves people with mental illness, substance use disorders, and developmental disabilities, it is my assertion that the practice of design has therapeutic potential and can aid in the process of recovery. To the novice, the practices of conception, shaping form, and praxis have empowering benefit especially when guided by Conditional and Transformation Design methods together with an emphasis on materiality and vernacular form.

A Wilderness And Art Therapy Program For Children With Social Concerns, Ashlynn C. Wardle

Honors Projects

For my honors project, I created an alternative therapy program for children with special needs. Activities were designed to support children with varied needs such as children with autism, ADHD, or learning disabilities. The program utilizes the most successful factors from the fields of art therapy, wilderness therapy, special education, applied behavior analysis, and speech and language therapy the program to form age appropriate, educational, and fun art and wilderness opportunities.

Nit Nitay Garabame: Analyzing Mental Illness And Art Therapy Within Dakar’S Atelier D’Ex-Pression Artistique, Alaina Orr

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As mental health issues are usually given low priority in countries of sub-Saharan Africa, including Senegal, mental illness continues to be an emerging topic of discourse (Rand 2015). In Dakar, the practice of art therapy has been used for decades to provide those living with mental illness or going through trauma with a method for selfexpression when words fail to articulate their situations or mental states. Situated within Hôpital Fann’s psychiatric hospital, Clinique Moussa Diop, is an art therapy workshop known as l’Atelier d’EX-PRESSION Artistique1, which provides the space, structure, and material for persons with mental illness to work with …

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 …

The Efficacy Of A Brief Group Art Therapy Intervention To Address Burnout And Compassion Fatigue In Mental Healthcare Professionals: A Mixed Methods Study, Vicky Greene

EVMS School of Health Professions Master's Level Capstones, Projects and Papers

The purpose of this proposed mixed-methods study was to explore the efficacy of utilizing a brief group art therapy intervention in reducing symptoms of burnout through a one group pretest and posttest design with mental healthcare professionals who work directly with the mentally ill population. Proposed interventions consisted of three two-hour group art therapy sessions over a period of three weeks with mental healthcare workers measured by the ProQOL-5 for Quantitative outcome, measuring compassion satisfaction (the positive) and compassion fatigue (the negative). Qualitative measures would be obtained from participants’ narratives from research questions, responses from resulting artwork, and a semi-structured …

Process Painting With A Woman Diagnosed With Breast Cancer, Jaimee Foster

EVMS School of Health Professions Master's Level Capstones, Projects and Papers

This qualitative single case study examines the reaction of one woman diagnosed with breast cancer as she engages in process painting, while undergoing treatment. Process painting involves the continued alteration of a single image over a period of time, either through painting over or chipping away at the current image. Over a period of six weeks, one woman was invited to engage in this process, in order to examine whether the process would have a positive effect on either the physical or emotional symptoms associated with breast cancer treatment. This study focused on the themes of each session, the participant’s …

Art Therapy And Its Impact Upon Marital Communication With Geriatric Adults Suffering From Dementia And Their Spousal Caregivers: An Exploratory Review And Research Study, Ashlyn G. Kubacak

School of Social Work Undergraduate Honors Theses

The World Health Organization estimated that 47.5 million people across the globe were living with dementia in 2015, and this number is expected to increase and eventually double by 2030. The cost of caregiving for someone who has dementia is substantial, with estimated federal costs fluctuating between 157 billion and 215 billion dollars annually. Sixty percent of caregivers rate the emotional strain of caregiving to be “high to extremely high”, and 40% of caregivers are diagnosed with depression. It is therefore important to provide support not only for those persons with dementia, but also for their caregivers in order to …

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 …

Interviews With Trauma Informed Art Therapy Experts: A Qualitative Study, Kara Cross

EVMS School of Health Professions Master's Level Capstones, Projects and Papers

Through qualitative interviewing of art therapy trauma experts, this study’s aim was to discover the “best practices” related to the field of art therapy when working with patients who have experienced trauma. The introduction described the background and rationale behind the study, followed by a brief overview of trauma related disorders and the neurocognitive effects of trauma on the human brain. A synopsis of literature supported the efficacy of art therapy in trauma work, and described multiple art therapy methods as effective treatments when working with patients who have experienced trauma. A description of the six art therapists interviewed for …

Art Therapy With A Familial Caregiver Of An Individual With Dementia Of The Alzheimer’S Type, Alexandra M. Serino

EVMS School of Health Professions Master's Level Capstones, Projects and Papers

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia and causes problems with memory, behavior, and thinking. The symptoms of this progressive disease commonly develop slowly and worsen over time. Family members who are caring for individuals with Dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (DAT) experience significant burden that affects their psychological well-being. This may result in an increase in stress/anxiety and a decreased mood. In this mixed methods case study, six individual in-home art therapy sessions were conducted with one 80 year old woman who was caring for her husband who had DAT, in order to gain preliminary understanding of …

The Efficacy Of Art Therapy-Based Processes And Techniques In Decreasing Symptoms Of Burnout And Compassion Fatigue In Pediatric Hospice And Palliative Caregivers: A Mixed-Methods Study, Aubrey Maggio

EVMS School of Health Professions Master's Level Capstones, Projects and Papers

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine the efficacy of art therapybased processes and techniques in decreasing symptoms of burnout and compassion fatigue in pediatric hospice and palliative caregivers. Interventions consisted of two twohour art therapy workshops, one in November 2014 and the second in January 2015. Participants were additionally supplied materials to promote self-care between the two workshops. Quantitative and qualitative measures of burnout and compassion fatigue were conducted pre- and posttest using the ProQOL-5 and individual post-intervention interviews. Due to the small sample size, data was analyzed without statistics, but rather illustrated with graphs and tables. …

Children’S Human Figure Drawings And Racial Identity: A Mixed Methods Study, Sonya B. Jimerson

EVMS School of Health Professions Master's Level Capstones, Projects and Papers

This study explored characteristics of children’s Human Figure Drawings (HFD) to determine whether any relationship existed between drawing characteristics and the artists’ identified race. Three hundred nine children’s HFDs obtained from the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) art therapy database were used in the study. The drawings were completed by 34 Black American males, 61 Black American females, 105 White American males, and 149 White American females, the children were between the ages of 7 and 11, and attended public schools in Southeastern Virginia. A checklist was developed through content analysis that contained 11 items associated with each group. The …

Art Therapy For Anxiety And Depression During Military-Induced Separation: A Case Study, Christa L. Turpin

EVMS School of Health Professions Master's Level Capstones, Projects and Papers

The purpose of this case study was to gain a preliminary understanding of the effects of art therapy on anxious and depressive symptoms in a 32-year-old African American military wife experiencing military-induced separation from her active duty husband. The mixed methods study design included administration of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) before and after six sessions of individual art therapy and a semi-structured interview conducted at the conclusion of the study to gain insight into the participant’s experience of art therapy. Results of the BDI-II revealed no change in overall score pre to post-intervention, but …

The Call To Artmaking: Claiming And Reclaiming The Artist Therapist, Josephine M. Stromseth

EVMS School of Health Professions Master's Level Capstones, Projects and Papers

This heuristic qualitative study was completed with the intention of learning about myself as an Art Therapy student in a personal and professional perspective by way of incorporating the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) with artmaking and reflective practice. Using the Moustakas method, this study was organized into the following stages: Initial Engagement, Immersion, Incubation, Illumination, Explication, creative synthesis, and the validation of heuristic research. The data was collected over a 6-week period artmaking once per week, and using ETC assessments to track the variety of change between the experiences of creating in a singular component each week. The findings were …

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 …

Paper Soldiers: A Clinical Case Study Exploring Papermaking As An Art Therapy Intervention To Increase Posttraumatic Growth In Military Sexual Trauma Survivors, Yonsenia White

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Through a six-week qualitative, single subject clinical case study, the effect of papermaking and other paper based art therapy directives showed potential in increasing posttraumatic growth in a veteran with military sexual trauma (MST) related PTSD. Pre and Post-Test Questionnaires and the AT-PIA were administered to assess the client’s current level of mental health functioning, feelings about the MST experience, and to develop a treatment goal and art directives for the study, as well as check in and check out words, and Self-Work Assignments for personal reflection. Papermaking was chosen as the main art intervention because it carries within itself …

Proposal For An Art Therapy Clinical Program Within The U.S. Department Of Veterans Health Administration, Darshini Walton

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, the military veteran population has increased due to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. This increase is congruent with the escalation of a Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnoses among military war veterans. Currently, the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) PTSD treatment utilizes various pharmacologic and/or psychotherapeutic interventions ranging from Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in residential and outpatient settings. In the event a veteran has a “complicated medical case” or comorbidity that does not respond to conventional medical treatment, the veteran may be referred to an art therapist, …

Art Therapy And Cognitive Processing Therapy For Combat Ptsd: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Melissa Campbell

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Five veterans were recruited for this randomized controlled trial examining the effects of art therapy in conjunction with Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for veterans with combat PTSD. The results of this study supported our hypothesis that art therapy in combination with CPT would be more effective, and indicated that art therapy is a powerful form of treatment for this population and needs to be explored further. Other goals of this study were to gain a basic understanding of the benefits of art therapy for combat veterans with PTSD and if it should be included as a standard treatment for this …