Art Therapy Commons^™

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 …

Materials And Processes In Art Therapy, Gabrielle Irvine

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

This review of literature addresses the lack of literature concerning art processes and materials by synthesizing findings evaluating the effects of different processes and materials in the unpublished theses from the Eastern Virginia Medical School’s Art Therapy and Counseling Program. The theses evaluated the effect of the processes of clay work, printmaking, drawing, scribbling, and creating mandalas. The data contained in the theses address specific effects of various processes and materials on clients’ mental and physical states such as levels of anxiety, depression, stress levels, and heart rate. The samples studied vary from the adult inpatient adults to university students. …

Self-Study Of The Usefulness Of Visual Journaling To Facilitate Reflection On Personal And Professional Growth, Tanisha A. Leonard

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

The purpose of this retrospective qualitative self-study was to gain insight into the usefulness of visual journaling to facilitate reflection on personal and professional growth. I made daily entries in my visual journal throughout my husband’s deployment as a method of reflection about deployment, family, the graduate school experience, and professional identity. From over 150 entries, every ninth journal entry was designated data which were analyzed through basic content analysis methods. The themes that emerged from the analysis are Containment, Connection, Stress, and Acceptance of Deployment. Each theme that emerged had related subthemes. Themes and subthemes were illustrated with verbatim …

Exploring The Lived Experience Of Being A Spouse And Caregiver To A Combat-Wounded Veteran And An Art Therapy Student: An Art-Based, Heuristic Study, Alisa Marie Simmons

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

This qualitative, art-based, heuristic self-study was designed to explore the impact of my experience as a spouse and caregiver to my husband, a combat-wounded service member, on my personal self and on my professional development as an art therapist in training. Data from 13 weeks of artmaking and reflective writing revealed the following themes: (1) containment of difficult feelings (2) internal experience versus external expression, (3) effects of injury and caregiving on the marital relationship, (4) influence of personal experience on professional development, (5) effects of caregiving on personal well-being, and (6) the experience of reflective artmaking and writing over …

Working Through Unresolved Bereavement Through Fiber Arts And Reflective Writing: A Heuristic Study, Ashley S. Jenkins

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

The purpose of this art-based heuristic study was to explore unresolved grief through various fiber art processes and reflective writing. According to existing literature, there are several grief therapy approaches, in addition to bereavement support groups for bereavement. Furthermore, many art processes are described in the literature as being valuable in the grieving process in art therapy. However, there are gaps in the literature describing the benefits and effects of fiber art processes for processing bereavement. A nine-week heuristic self-study was proposed to identify the potential therapeutic benefits and applicability of fiber arts within art therapy for those dealing with …

Assessing Couples’ Relationships Through Art Making: A Replication Study, Courtney Combe, Spencer Harden

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This research examined the usefulness of art therapy techniques in the assessment of attachment in couples treatment. This case illustration consisted of one couple who were invited to complete four questionnaires, participate in individual and joint art making tasks. The participants also engaged in conversation and discussion about their art and their experience throughout the art making process. The data was then analyzed and categorized into three emerging themes: (1) Relational dynamic between participants (2) Relationship and response to the art, and (3) Integration of shared and personal experiences. Through the discussion of themes, researchers found that art techniques, specifically …

The Potential Of Refugee Art To Inspire Empathy And Social Action, Zoé Cavnar-Lewandowski, Kelsey Gavin

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This research seeks to utilize an art experiential to explore the potential of art and art making as a means to stimulate empathy towards refugee populations. Researchers attempt to show how art can evoke empathy and inspire social action by communicating the experiences of marginalized communities, specifically Syrian refugees. This research follows a qualitative approach utilizing appropriate quantitative methodologies for data analysis. The research design includes experiential art based focus groups, implementation of guided relational viewing (Potash & Ho, 2011), surveys, response art, and verbal discussion. The data analysis observes for common themes among the three parts of the experiential, …

Art Therapy And Neuroscience: A Model For Wellness, Ceccily J. Bednash

LMU Theses and Dissertations

This research aimed to illuminate the connections between art therapy and neuroscience by using qualitative research methods. Two art therapists and a psychologist with neuroscience backgrounds were interviewed. Analyzing artwork made by the researcher and results of the interviews allowed for themes to emerge: connection, perspective, desire for understanding and being trapped in time. The researcher’s further inquiry into these emergent themes allowed for the idea of the creative spirit to present itself as a basic human need which has existed since the beginning of time. Using this newfound perspective the researcher has embraced the importance of creating an art …

Therapeutic Benefits Of Art Therapy With Adults Who Have Traumatic Brain Injury With Depression And/Or Anxiety, Guadalupe Flores

Undergraduate Honors College Theses 2016-

This honors college thesis is about how art therapy can impact depression and/or anxiety with Traumatic Brain Injury(TBI). Traumatic Brain Injury is a direct blow or penetrating object to the head that was caused by acceleration, deceleration or direct force. TBI can impact quality of life emotionally, physicality and their cognition. Depression is one of the most common diagnosis within TBI clients, about thirty-three percent of the population are diagnosed with depression post one year from their accidents (Driskell, Starosta, & Brenner, 2016). Anxiety is the second most common diagnosis within TBI clients. The art therapy interventions that are developed …

How To Explain Cancer To A Child And The Effects Of Coloring Therapy In Children With Cancer, Alexandra Mauer

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Did you know that doodling or coloring in a book can have significant therapeutic effects? It has been studied and proven that art therapy can help with anxiety, depression, and even some diseases such as cancer.1 Although coloring may not be able to cure cancer, it can make coping with it more manageable.1 When a child who has cancer is waiting to be seen in a doctor’s office or at the hospital, a coloring book can keep his or her mind off of the diagnosis, provide entertainment, and elicit a relaxing mindset. This coloring book could also have a storyline …

Can Coloring Pre-Structured Designs That Have Complexity Aid In Reducing Anxiety In Those Greater Than 17 Years Of Age?, Kaitlyn P. Probasco

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

Objective: The objective of this selective evidence based medicine (EBM) review is to determine whether or not coloring mandalas or designs that have complexity and structure can aid in reducing anxiety in those greater than 17 years of age.

Study Design: Review of three English language randomized controlled trials (RCTs), published in 2007, 2012, and 2015.

Data Sources: Three randomized controlled trials published in peer-reviewed journals obtained using PubMed and EBSCOhost.

Outcomes Measured: The Curry and Kasser study and the van dV and Serice7study both used the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) to record anxiety. The Henderson …

Filmmaking As Artistic Inquiry: An Examination Of Ceramic Art Therapy In A Maximum-Security Forensic Psychiatric Facility, Serena Duckrow

Expressive Therapies Dissertations

This Art-Based Research (ABR) illuminates the power of creativity to inspire and heal people living in a maximum-security forensic psychiatric hospital. The study comprises: the individual and group artwork from the Collaborative Ceramic Art Therapy Studio with thirteen participants; a culminating thirteen-minute film found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PytlFZVvlig, Conversations in Clay: Creativity, Collaboration, and Community; an artistic inquiry and examination of the project footage; and a discussion of how the therapeutic filmmaking process helped capture the essential therapeutic elements of clay, filmmaking, and the art therapy studio environment.

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 …

Are Five Sessions Of Individual Based Art Therapy Effective In Reducing Emotional Problems In Swedish Women With Nonmetastatic Breast Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy?, Sarah C. Hayes

PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine “Are five sessions of individual based art therapy effective in reducing emotional problems in Swedish women with nonmetastatic breast cancer receiving radiation therapy?”

STUDY DESIGN: This review is based on three randomized control studies, two which were published in 2009 and one that was published in 2006.

DATA SOURCES: All articles used were published in English, in peer-reviewed journals, and found using PubMed, Ebscohost, and Cochrane Review databases.

OUTCOMES MEASURED: For all studies, factors pertaining to emotional problems were measured through self-assessment questionnaires.

RESULTS: …

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 Systematic Review Of Complimentary Therapies To Treat Symptoms Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder In The Aftermath Of Domestic Abuse, Jordan A. Meeks, Saida Byrami

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Objectives: Explore the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on the health of female survivors. Identify complementary therapies that alleviate symptoms of psychological health impacts of IPV on women’s health.

Method: An exhaustive search of published, peer reviewed literature on complementary therapies and IPV was conducted. Databases included PubMed and CINAHL. Each article reviewed was published between the years of 2002 and 2016. The initial search produced 112 articles, abstracts of all studies were reviewed and studies were included if they addressed; a) complementary and alternative therapies, b) post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression and, c) the impact of IPV …

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 Disciplined Practice Of Art Making And Art Therapist Professional Identity, Christopher L. Porche

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

This self-study identified the effects of a disciplined practice of art making and reflective practice using methods such as open studio, visual journaling, and reflective writing on the professional art therapist identity formation of a graduate art therapy student. A qualitative heuristic research method was used as a guide to analyze the intrapersonal experience of a novice graduate art therapist in training. Committee members and I conducted a content analysis of 54 artworks and/or visual journal entries created during the immersion phase of this study conducted during my graduate school experience. The central themes that emerged were identity, creativity, and …

An Exploration Of Existential Group Art Therapy For Substance Abuse Clients With A History Of Trauma, Sung Liskin

LMU Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore existential group art therapy (EGAT) as an alternate or integrated method in treating clients with substance abuse and a history of trauma. Subjects for this study were male and/or female adults, ages 18 and older, volunteer participants who were in treatment for substance addiction at Tarzana Treatment Centers. A group of seven participants who met the criteria for both substance abuse and history of trauma received Existential Group Art Therapy (EGAT) treatment for eight consecutive weeks. Participants were asked to fill out the Scale for Existential Thinking (SET) at the start of …