Art Therapy Commons^™

Mindfulness Meditation And Art Making: Implications For Art Therapy, Susan Kathleen Mahl

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Meditation is being integrated into various fields to aid with healing, especially mindfulness meditation as it focuses on total awareness of the present. This thesis describes a self study that used a heuristic methodology to investigate the effects of mindfulness meditation on this researcher. I progressed through the six phases of heuristic research in a period seven weeks. At the beginning of the study, mindfulness meditation was practiced twice a week for a time period of 30 minutes to one hour for three weeks, followed by art making and reflections. Next, I practiced mindfulness meditation three times a week for …

Using Art Therapy To Increase Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Homeless Mothers Living In A Shelter, Mandi Elizabeth Wines

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Literature reveals that homelessness is inherently a situation where desired outcomes are less likely than unfavorable outcomes, and, as such, the concepts of learned hopelessness, disempowerment, and low self-efficacy are especially relevant. Self-efficacy has been found to affect one’s motivation, performance, coping, self-esteem, emotional arousal, and behavior. Homeless women who possess a stronger sense of self-efficacy are more likely to actively engage in employment and housing searches and spend less time in temporary shelters than those with low self-efficacy.

Although aspects of this problem have been studied no specific intervention models have proven effective in increasing homeless women’s self-efficacy. Literature …

Attachment Styles And Children In Foster Care: A Study Involving Art Therapy Evaluation, Abigail Johnson

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This case study explored the attachment style and perceptions of family, from the perspective of children in the foster care system, through the use of art therapy evaluative methods. The participants for this study included two half-sisters in the second and fourth grades. The Art Therapy-Projective Imagery Assessment (AT-PIA) was adapted and used to construct a well-rounded understanding of each client. Within the adapted AT-PIA, the Human Figure Drawing and the Bird’s Nest Drawing were evaluated using rating schemes. A dyad session was held with the two participants, where a Safe Place Sculpture was created. Review of the artwork revealed …

The Application Of Art Therapy Techniques To The Resolution Of Conflict, Maggie Hart

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Conflict is present in innumerable forms in current society. As a result, a variety of methods of conflict resolution exist, both constructive and destructive. The prevalence of conflict in our everyday lives warrants further study about improved means of resolution. Art therapy theory and techniques have much to offer the process of conflict resolution. Currently, a body of research about using art to explore past or future conflicts does exist. However, this literature lacks a thorough examination of using art in order to process and resolve current conflicts, involving all parties involved in the conflict.

The current study explores the …

Life Drawing With Gross Anatomy Medical Students And Implications For Art Therapy, Elliott Addesso

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

It is important to incorporate humanities training into medical education in order to enhance the potential for humane and ethical interactions among physicians. In this study, a life drawing studio course was led by an art therapy graduate student to explore the effects of a life drawing course on medical students concurrently enrolled in Gross Anatomy. Based on students’ perceptions of their experience in the life drawing class, theoretical implications for the practice of art therapy in studio applications were discussed.

Five medical students participated in the course on a voluntary, non-credit basis. The course consisted of seven meetings and …

An Art Therapy Approach To Addressing Burnout Prevention Among Pediatric Healthcare Providers, Hoilam Tang

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to develop an art therapy based burnout prevention program for pediatric healthcare providers who work directly with chronically and/or terminally ill children. This program will run for a period of four months. Eight sessions were designed to implement self-care skills, promote a supportive working environment and professional boundaries, address grief and loss, and process work-related stress and distress in order to reduce burnout and compassion fatigue among pediatric healthcare providers. This program was designed for 5 to 7 healthcare providers who have similar experiences and work duties. This program will run as a peer …

Exploring American Indian Adolescents’ Needs Through A Community-Driven Study, Emily Gordon Basto

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The current higher rates of substance use and abuse for Native American adolescents compared to non-Natives is an issue that requires attention. There are a variety of risk factors that lead to this current situation, including discrimination and acculturation pressures. Past treatment options have been limited with American Indians and have not incorporated community involvement. Art therapy has been utilized in substance abuse programs and with American Indian populations; however, art therapy has been limited in taking a community-driven approach. As art therapy and community involvement are seen as culturally relevant, together they may serve as a model for assessing …

The Chakra Energy System And Art Therapy: A Heuristic Study, Linda Scalise

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The chakra system, an Eastern philosophy relating to an individual’s health, energy, and consciousness, has been integrated into the healing practices of psychology, meditation, yoga, and alternative medicine. Dale (2005), Judith (1996), and Myss (1996) described the chakra energy system as focal points embedded within the human energy system that regulate all components of the self. Researchers in complementary therapies and energy medicine have long been interested in how the integration of this system affects the progression of disease, human behavior, and emotional disturbances. However, although rich in symbolism and metaphor, no literature has been found demonstrating the use of …

The Effects Of Coloring Books On Children’S Drawings: Implications For Art Therapy, Sarah Elizabeth Garrison

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This study aimed to test the effects of coloring books on children’s drawings and relate the findings to art therapy practice. A review of the relevant literature revealed a widely accepted theory of drawing development, in which all individuals pass through a series of sequential stages of drawing. These stages varied slightly from author to author, but were all similar to the originally developed stages of drawing development first outlined by Viktor Lowenfeld (Lowenfeld & Brittain, 1987).

In art therapy, these stages are applied to the drawings of children to assess developmental level. Art is also utilized in art therapy …

Reflective Visual Journaling During Art Therapy And Counseling Internships, Sarah P. Deaver

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Visual journaling is thought to promote students' critical reflection upon their previous learning, their current experiences, and their ongoing professional growth. Research supports the value of written journals as educational tools that encourage reflection, but the potential for visual journaling to facilitate reflection has not been explored through systematic inquiry until now.

This qualitative multiple case study explored four art therapy students' and four counseling students' responses to visual journaling during their internships. They maintained their journals throughout one 15-week academic semester, and were interviewed four times over the course of the study. Data consisted of transcribed interviews and photographs …

Reflective Materials And The Use Of Glitter In Art Therapy, Amber Dee Mazza

Art Therapy | Master's Theses in Print

This paper hypothesizes that glitter is an important media in art therapy. This research asked the question, what is the significance and clinical application of glitter in art therapy? Glitter is a commonly used art material and research on the subject matter is absent. The method used was survey research with quantitative and qualitative questions. Seven hundred and fifty eight members of the American Art Therapy Association completed the survey. Glitter has significant meaning in reference to Cathy Moon’s theory of materiality, and can be used to bring light to client art work.