Art Therapy Commons^™

Exploring The Effects Of An Art Based Trauma Protocol With An Active Duty Police Officer Experiencing Symptoms Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Khaki Wieters

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Because of repeated exposure to traumatic events as part of their job requirements, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is a common problem found among police officers. Although treatments in some agencies are limited, they can include, Critical Incident Stress Management, mandatory referrals to mental health professionals, and trained peer support. Art therapy is an efficient treatment for trauma because it bypasses defenses and aids in processing and integrating traumatic imagery by naturally connecting the brain’s right and left hemispheres. Police diagnosed with PTSD may benefit from art therapy since it can penetrate resistance and has proven effective for processing traumatic imagery.

This …

Art Therapists’ Strategies For Improving Adolescent Self-Esteem: A Qualitative Study, Jennifer Lauren Barnette

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to interview art therapists who work with an adolescent population in a variety of settings, to acquire an in depth understanding of what various therapeutic approaches and art-making strategies they utilized to improve adolescents’ self-esteem. Six art therapists were interviewed. The interviews, which were transcribed, generated information about the art therapists’ theoretical orientation, how they addressed self-esteem with their clients, and what processes and materials they find to be most effective for improving such a goal. Themes were extracted from the interviews in order to acquire a further understanding of work with adolescents as …

A Proposal For An Art Therapy Intervention For The Reduction Of Dementia Caregiver Stress, Eileen Douglas

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to develop an art therapy intervention program to test the efficacy of art therapy in the mitigation of stress among informal caregivers who are caring for individuals suffering from dementia. The design of this program is a prospective, randomized, controlled study of informal caregivers. This program will run for a period of 2 months, with a 30 day follow-up session. The study is designed to recruit at least 20 participants. Participants will be randomized into two separate groups, an art therapy intervention group and a controlled art making group. The Zarit Burden Interview, Cohen …

A Proposed Bereavement Art Therapy Group For Children Who Experienced A Loss, Laurie Mcarthur

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Bereavement, grief, and loss have been topics of interest to many individuals (Bowlby, 1969; Freud, 1917; Kubler-Ross, 1969) over the years, whereas child bereavement has become a more recent topic of interest. Recently, however, researchers (Lowenstein, 2006; Rogers, 2007; Trozzi, 1999) have gained an awareness of the importance of child bereavement as it pertains to developmental level, support systems, and circumstances surrounding the loss. Typically, both non-clinical and clinical interventions are used as forms of treatment for children who are experiencing grief and loss. Art therapy provides individuals with the opportunity to express themselves through their artwork. Individuals suffering from …

The Effect Of Art Therapy On The Working Memory Of Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Kelly N. Lee

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the effect of a short-term art therapy intervention on the working memory and behavior of male children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The methodology was quasi-experimental, involving a two-group controlled design with three objective pretest and posttest measures and one observer behavior report. Four subjects ages 7 to 9 were recruited for this study, and they were randomly divided between the experimental (i.e. art making) and control (i.e. board game play) conditions. Each subject participated in four individual sessions with the investigator, and completed two working memory measures at pretest and posttest administration. One parent for each child …

A Study Of Artwork By Individuals With Eating Disorders, Michelle L. Mong

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This study explored formal elements and content of 200 images created by eating disordered individuals to identify common themes or content. Images were found on 24 websites containing eating disordered artwork. Gathered artwork was viewed on a laptop and analyzed using methods of content analysis. After categories of formal elements and content were entered into a spreadsheet, percentages of categories and subcategories were calculated. The majority of images, 96.5%, were created with representational, rather than abstract, content. Other high percentages were in the subcategories of drawings (67.5%), vertical orientation (63%), color (61%), and partial figures (53%). Common themes noted in …

Philosophical Concerns: Implications For Art Therapy, Anzhela Akbarova

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Throughout centuries, philosophers have asked and attempted to answer questions that address human concerns: identity establishment, search for purpose in life, fear of nonexistence, spirituality, and relationships with other people in the world. Some psychologists and arts therapists have also acknowledged the existence of these concerns. This thesis is a comparative analysis of philosophical literature and concludes that art therapists should acknowledge human concerns in their theory and practice.

An Art-Based Self-Study Of Immersion In Amish Culture: Implications For Art Therapists, Alison R. Hunt

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Literature reveals that cross cultural experiences can be beneficial to therapists in terms of personal growth and cultural competency (Finlay, 2005). This heuristic study employed Moustakas’ (1990) six stages of initial engagement, immersion, incubation, illumination, explication, and creative synthesis to examine the impact of immersion in Amish culture on my sense of myself as an art therapist. Data collection included keeping a visual journal and making art during the immersion stage. The data was evaluated using qualitative techniques of categorizing, interpreting, and integrating (Ansdell & Pavlicevic, 2001). Themes which emerged from the artwork were reported in a narrative format and …

A Grant Proposal For An Art Therapy Open Studio For The Homeless Population Of Hampton Roads, Virginia, Jessica Renée Chevalier

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

It has been shown that community arts programs for the homeless can aid in the development of problem-solving skills, raise self-esteem, facilitate the development of valuable workplace skills, and help the individual feel more connected to his or her community. Though homelessness is a tremendous problem in Hampton Roads, Virginia, there are currently no community art programs devoted to assisting this population. In addition to summarizing other successful community art programs, this paper explains just how valuable and necessary an art therapy based community art program, such as the one being proposed here, would be to the communities of Hampton …

Proposal For An Art-Based Program Promoting Positive Identity Formation In Sexual Minority Youth, Anthony Philip Stroud

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

According to current scholarly research, there is a paucity of literature aimed at preventing negative identity formation for sexual minority adolescents. Unfortunately, most literature aims at the treatment of the consequences of negative minority identity formation. More important, strengthening positive minority identity formation, particularly in reference to sexual minority adolescents, needs to be a primary goal of current research. This paper provides an arts-based program plan for sexual minority adolescents grappling with identity formation. Moreover, this proposed program plan aims at utilizing art therapy and museum education to prevent negative identity formation amongst the participants.

An African-American Breast Cancer Survivor’S Journey With The Use Of Visual Journaling, Kristen Spellman

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative case study guided one female breast cancer survivor through a 6-week art therapy visual journaling experience. The art therapist taught the participant about the purpose of visual journaling and the potential benefits, as well as the basic methods used to journal. Qualitative data consisted of the visual journal entry (containing both images and writing) that she made in each session and entries made between sessions. Through content analysis, the following themes emerged from the data: breast cancer treatment, anger, family, body image, and depression. The sessions appeared to be beneficial to the participant, and she was enthusiastic and …

Art Therapy And Anorexia: A Heuristic Self-Study From Treatment To Career, Katie Kiskinis

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this self-study was to explore the personal experience had during treatment for anorexia nervosa that included an art therapy component and what impact this has had on subsequent recovery, current healthy functioning, and the career decision to become an art therapist.

The total duration of the study was 13 weeks. Thirty-minute reflection sessions supplemented with writing were scheduled for the first four days of the study, during which there was a submersion in artwork made during treatment (Treatment Artwork) for anorexia nervosa and any related memories. On the fourth day, eight themes were identified to be the …

De-Mystifying The Magic: Meaningful Moments In Music Therapy When Working With Children That Have Severe Special Needs, Kayla C. Daly

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The purpose of my study is to explore the “magic” that occurs in these music therapy sessions, and to discover what this word means for those who use it. For the purpose of this study we will define “magic” as having the occurrence of meaningful outcomes or moments in music therapy sessions. This study will attempt to reveal methods and techniques that are being used by music therapists to further facilitate the therapeutic process for children with severe special needs in their lives and everyday experiences. This study included naturalistic inquiry and phenomenological inquiry.

Art Therapy Support Group For Siblings Of Children With Autism, Christine Mccann Giardina

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Siblings of children with autism are at an increased risk for psychosocial and adjustment difficulties due to the extra stresses and frustrations they often experience. This qualitative, phenomenological multiple case study explored the unique experiences of siblings of children with autism in an art therapy support group. Seven 40 minute art therapy sessions, occurring approximately once per month, were implemented to address the specific concerns of siblings of children with autism. This study included three participants who agreed to share their experiences and their reactions to the sibling art therapy support group. Case reports were generated from session observations, semi-structured …

The Role Of The Arts Toward Healing Trauma And Building Resilience In The Palestinian Community, Yousef Al-Ajarma

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This study has investigated the sources of resilience in a sample of Palestinians who experienced the first Intifada and are now studying in the United States. The study found that family and community support, the pursuit of an education, and participation in artistic activities all contribute to individual resilience among Palestinians. In addition, political awareness and activity are another source of resilience, because they help individuals living under the Occupation to find meaning in their life and make sense of their struggles. Currently, young people in Palestine are at risk of developing psychological trauma from exposure to the violence of …

Phenomenology Of Embodied Dreamwork With Puerto Rican Women: A Dissertation, Lourdes F. Brache-Tabar

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

The author investigated the experience of embodied dreamwork. Participants were eight Puerto Rican women who were chronically ill, of low socioeconomic status, who lived in Boston. The data were analyzed using transcendental phenomenology. Each participant engaged in one embodied dreamwork–unstructured interview session lasting approximately 1.5 hours. In addition, each participant drew a picture of how she felt after the dreamwork interview. This snowball, purposive sample gave detailed information about how they experienced embodied dreamwork. The participants’ statements were grouped into themes: (a) sense of place—environment, surroundings, spatiality; (b) the players—self, others; (c) plot; (d) in the sea of emotions—naming affective …