This diploma thesis deals with the theme of horticultural therapy in the Czech Republic. The thesis is especially focused on the utilization of this therapy with seniors. The theoretical part contains chapters dealing with age, needs, and horticultural therapy, which is an effective way of meeting the needs of the elderly. The horticultural therapy is presented from the historical point of view. In addition the state of the horticultural therapy in Czech Republic is described in general. Furthermore this chapter describes the usage of the horticultural therapy abroad. Key features of the horticultural therapy are presented in order to ensure effectiveness of this method. Therapeutic gardens are defined in this part, as well as key differences between horticultural therapy and other generally used therapeutic approaches. The research is based on semi-structured interviews with relevant persons in the Czech Republic. The interviews were conducted with three groups of people. The first group consists from individuals who are mainly oriented in the theoretical level of horticultural therapy. For example they have an overview of the state of horticultural therapy in the Czech Republic, especially in the realization of horticultural therapy or legislative issues. The second group are those who practice...

Background: Art therapeutic intervention has already been part of complex therapeutic programs in institutional treatment of addictive disorders in the Czech Republic for several decades already. However, the form of art therapy is neither codified, nor is there a universally accepted education system. In 2017, the profession of an art therapist was removed from the list of non-medical professions in the field of health care. Aims: To describe how an art therapeutic program is implemented in selected institutional addiction treatment facilities in terms of formal status, documentation, processes, personnel and team collaboration. Methods: Qualitative analysis focused on the treatment program was applied. Five addiction treatment facilities were selected, and cooperation with nine respondents - employees of these facilities - was established. These respondents were selected both intentionally and by self-selection. Semi-structured interviews with art therapists (five respondents) and their collaborators (four respondents) and available written documents anchoring clinical practice were used to obtain data. Results: Art therapy is clearly defined and distinguished from activity and work therapies in the selected facilities. The art therapeutic program is usually carried out once a week mandatory for...

Background: For several decades already, art therapeutic interventions have been part of complex therapeutic programs in institutional treatment of addictive disorders, both domestic and foreign. The concept of the art therapy oscillates between artistic symbolic expression, the art of therapy and clinical practice, where new approaches are being developed on the basis of target groups or therapeutic starting points. Aims: To map the implementation and concept of the art therapeutic component of the program in institutional treatment of addictions. Other sub-objectives are also addressed. Methods: In this qualitative study, preparation and process evaluations focused on therapeutic activity are applied. The sample was selected by self-selection and purposive sampling and contains nine workers from five institutions focused on treatment of addictions. Available documents related to the practice of art therapy and semi-structured interviews with art therapists and their collaborators were used to obtain the data. Text data from documents and transcripts of interviews was processed using the content analysis method with emphasis on ethical aspects especially in the field of data anonymization. Results: The art therapy program usually takes place once a week obligatorily, art therapists are mainly...

I den här kvalitativa intervjustudien undersöker jag med diskurspsykologiska metoder deattityder som bildlärare och bildterapeuter har kring tanken på eventuella införande avbildterapeutiska metoder i skolan och bildundervisningen. Syftet med studien är att utforskatvå olika diskurser, det bildpedagogiska och det bildterapeutiska och dess eventuella plats iskolan. I studien uttrycker yrkeskunniga människor i bildterapi och dels bildpedagogik sinaföreställningar av att använda bildterapeutiska metoder i bildämnet och skolan, samt sinametoder för att främja elevers hälsa i sin undervisning.Utifrån de diskurser som kan utläsas i några bildterapeuters och bildlärares tal om möjlighetenatt tillämpa bildterapeutiska metoder i bildundervisningen och skolan kom jag fram till attsamtliga informanter tar ställning för det bildpedagogiska perspektivet istället för detbildterapeutiska. Vilket innebär att informanterna bygger på det bildpedagogiska perspektivetatt bildterapeutiska metoder inte hör hemma i bildundervisningen utan hos elevhälsansskolkurator. Några bildlärarinformanter presenterar en utopiskola som har en öppenverkstad/ateljérum som påminner om bildterapeutens. Det här rummet tillskrivs som en platsdär eleverna kan skapa kravlöst utan betyg och fritt skapande där en vuxen medmaterialkännedom arbetar. I mitt gestaltande arbete har jag bjudit in människor till ettliknande rum där jag upplevde att en god stämning och avslappnande samtal fick fortgåmedan deltagarna målade, en del behöll tankarna kring sin bildvärld för sig själv medan andravar mer öppna.

Although research has been conducted on journaling, spirituality and art making separately, few studies investigate the potential for these modalities when combined together in a therapeutic context. This investigation explored the way that combining art making and journaling can contribute to spiritual growth and development during times of transformation. Specifically, by using self study and archival research approaches to conduct a systematic analysis of 5 of my previous journals and 5 of my previous art pieces which were created during times of transformation. Components illustrating spiritual growth such as contemplation, awareness, meaning making, connection, externalization, values and beliefs (Aten, 2011; Bryne & McKinlay, 2012; Hieb, 2005; Wiggins, 2011) were indicated. During this investigation, spirituality was examined through transpersonal and existential perspectives. The findings of this study suggest that examining a person’s core values, beliefs and how they seek meaning and connection with others is beneficial because it may be the source of unproductive thoughts, behaviors and feelings which motivate an individual to seek psychotherapeutic treatment. This study also illuminates the potential for spiritual development and maturation in spaces of disconnection.

A qualitative, art-based research approach is used in this study to explore the relationship between trauma and eating disorders in art therapy treatment. The literature review illuminates the function, presentation, and treatment of eating disorders and trauma. Adolescent developmental challenges are discussed in relation to eating disorders, given that this is the period when the diagnosis manifests. The nominal research on the use of art therapy for underlying trauma with clients who are in treatment for eating disorders suggests the importance of considering the implications for the field of art therapy. Two-semi-structured, art-based interviews are the primary data gathering component in understanding the connection between eating disorders and trauma. An axial coding process is used to analyze the textual and visual data to reveal emergent themes. The results of the analysis process suggest that art, which bypasses verbal defenses, allows the client to access and externalize internal experiences such as trauma. The study also reveals the interconnected nature of eating disorders and trauma. The findings recommend future study of this relationship and the necessity of addressing significant traumatic experiences in addition to abuse and most importantly to acknowledge trauma as a primary focus of treatment.

Our experiences over a lifetime are contained not only in our minds and psyches, but in the very structure of our bodies. Emotional pain can show up as blockage, restriction and habit patterns in both mind and body. Therefore, healing needs to take place on more than just the cognitive and mental levels; it needs to happen from the viscera of our beings, and from the unconscious realms into the conscious. In this heuristic study, I engaged material held more deeply inside myself by practicing yoga, making note of my dream material, and creating art. Used together, these practices had a powerful impact. Through them, I was able to gain insight into how I experience myself and the world, release some long and deeply-held pain, and experience healing around emotional issues. This experience provided emotional relief, and revealed resources and strengths I can draw on when I face future challenges. My hope is that it will help me in serving clients who are struggling with their own challenges.

This qualitative case study explored the role of art therapy in identity exploration for adolescents that have experienced complex trauma. The participant in this study was an adolescent survivor of childhood abuse who subsequently developed symptoms of complex trauma. She was a resident of Star View Adolescent Center located in Torrance, California. The researcher conducted a thematic analysis of the art images produced in a series of therapeutic sessions as well as an analysis of researcher response art. This analysis offered clues to the participant’s process of identity formation. The researcher found that the symptom spectrum of complex trauma, which includes difficulty with self-regulation, distortions in the sense of self, and disruptions to systems of meaning manifested in the art as fragmentation, disconnectedness, and isolation. Through both process and product, the use of art making in the therapeutic setting provided an opportunity to explore integration of the fragmented, disconnected, and isolated parts of self.

This study explores how a therapist’s personal history of complex trauma impacts countertransference in clinical work. Utilizing artmaking and journaling, the research questions and methodology are based on a previous study (Arbas, 2008), which this study replicates and then uses both data sets as for a comparative analysis. To inform this study, the literature review focuses on non-physical forms of child abuse, how child abuse over an extended period turns into complex trauma, how complex trauma effects a child, and how therapeutic treatments and art therapy can be utilized to help a child recover from trauma. In addition, Countertransference and vicarious traumatization, self- care, and Art and journaling as forms of self care are discussed. Through the data collection and presentation of data, the art responses and journaling illustrate effects and emotional responses of a therapist working with children with trauma histories in lieu of her own complex trauma history. The analysis identifies three themes: How countertransference manifests through the creative expressions used, how the creative reflections can help the therapist identify countertransference, and how the art process as a form of self-care helps the therapist is studied. Considering the data analysis from both this study and the study done by Arbas in 2008, it is observed that both subjects found that the art helped them to explore and identify their countertransference, release unconscious material, self regulate, better attend to their clinical work, and identify an increased need for self care.

This case study explores the benefits as well as the challenges of using art therapy with an emotionally disturbed child who was seen in three different settings. The literature reviewed for this case study covers the wide variety of factors affecting the client, including prenatal exposure to drugs, drug abusing parents, neglect in the postnatal environment, difficulty attaching to others, classification as emotionally disturbed (ED), requiring a special education classroom setting, and a diagnoses of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The findings indicate that the art proved to be a particularly useful tool with which to assess and treat the client. Initially, the client’s reluctance to create art in the session was interpreted by the author as being a reflection of her abilities as an art therapist. By examining her countertransference, the author was able to understand the client’s reluctance as a reflection of his difficulty attaching to the therapist and collaborating with his family. The findings highlight the importance for emerging art therapists to address their countertransference in supervision when working with clients who appear unwilling to make art.