This research is a qualitative case study of a client in art therapy treatment with a history addiction and complex trauma symptoms. The study explores the clients artwork and themes emerge in the analysis process that include splitting, diminutive figures, preoccupation with death, abuse and violence. The study explores the client’s dissociative thinking and self-injurious behaviors, within the context of cultural stigmas attached to being labeled an addict. The findings suggest that art therapy treatment can address the client’s addiction while providing a space to explore early childhood and adolescent traumatic experiences.

This paper researches the techniques of mindfulness meditation, guided imagery, and artistic exploration as strategies for self-care among therapists. Literature indicates self-care is an important and essential practice for mental health practitioners to best serve their clients. Literature on the pro-active strategies of mindfulness meditation and guided imagery include benefits and techniques in implementing self-care. The research study involves a case study utilizing a systematic process to research the effects of a daily meditation and guided imagery practice for the therapist during at two week period. Data was gathered and analyzed from journal and art responses. The data revealed immediate and long-standing positive changes tophysiological states, emotions, cognitive states and outlook through the implementation of all the strategies. All techniques prompted feelings of calmness and relaxation, while guided imagery techniques promoted changes in outlook and utilized problem solving. The art products served to map the experience and revealed themes of containment and release throughout all techniques, indicating the strategies success in cultivating emotional regulation through cultivating present moment attention. Thus, the research demonstrates the unique contribution these diverse approaches play in supporting the practitioner in successful and necessary practices of self-care.

This study explores the experience that Art Therapy alums have had in regards to spirituality and healing within a multicultural framework and the implications of art. Narrative based questionnaires with creative art responses were used to gain information about their experiences of spirituality, healing, culture, and art. The data obtained was analyzed using phenomenologically-informed methodology: organized into tables and analyzed vertically and horizontally (Creswell, 1998), the creative art responses scored using FEATS (Gantt, 2009) analysis. From the analysis, clusters of meaning, similarities, and unique experiences emerged and were categorized into 21 emergent categories: Centering, Growth, Connection, Meditation, Prayer, Art as spiritual and healing, Spirituality as inner wisdom, Nature and spirituality, Spirituality as God within, Spirituality as different from religion, Change in religious status over time, Spirituality as changing over time, Spirituality as community, Spirituality as healing, Integration, Prominence of color, Amount of space used, Blend of abstract and concrete images, Inclusion of nature, Choice of Media, and Art responses connected to spiritually associated words. Three overarching themes emerged as relevant to understanding the significance of spirituality and healing within a multicultural framework and the implications of art: Spirituality as highly personalized form of integration, Spirituality as offering a sense of both personal and universal connection, and Art making as a spiritual, healing practice. This study found that all the participants had a rich experience with spirituality and healing, and that this concept of the personal spiritual for each of them did in fact situate itself inside a more multicultural construct. The findings indicate the importance and relevance for spirituality to be included as part of the dialogue in healing and therapy, and more broadly, in culture. Further, it was found that not only was art making implicated within the spiritual and healing process, it was, in fact, a main tool of the spiritual practice.

This heuristic research examines the personal and therapeutic importance of exploring ones cultural interpretations of death and dying. The research began at a Día de los Muertos celebration in Los Angeles, CA and my observations of that event were used as an inspiration to create meaningful art. Through analysis and examination of the artwork I addressed my individual and clinical struggles regarding death. The knowledge I gained exploring my own questions concerning death and dying can be used to avoid encumbrances to my provision of effective therapy in the future.

This reflective case study exams the use of art as a way of giving voice to a recently immigrated adolescent regarding identity formation. This paper reviews the existing literature regarding adolescent identity development, including the difficult tasks that face minority adolescents. Art therapy literature is also reviewed considering the ways in which art therapy assists minority adolescents’ working through challenges in developing a sense of self. This paper presents the data gathered which consisted of the researcher’s personal materials such as art and journals from the adolescent period, and the reflective art that was made in response to the observation and exploration of the materials from the adolescent period. The results of study reveal obstacles in identity formation as a minority adolescent, and how the process of art making visualized these challenges. This reflective case study illuminates how art can provide a voice to immigrant adolescents during the identity formation period as a mechanism to communicate with self and others.

This research project explores the use of photography in the therapeutic setting as a means to develop one’s identity as an emerging adult. It contains a literature review that synthesizes the existing research on the developmental stage of emerging adulthood, identity formation, art therapy with adolescents, and photo art therapy. The research project is an art-based, heuristic study of the researcher’s journey of identity formation through examining old photographs and creating new ones. The findings suggest that the use of photography in the therapeutic setting can enhance one’s identity development by allowing self-confrontation through self-portraits, permitting the review of past events via archival photographs, and providing the individual with an objective view of him- or herself.

The purpose of this art therapy research is to explore the experiences of Latino immigrant men to have a more cohesive understanding of their mental health needs. The study utilizes a focus group of eight Latino men. This study seeks to understand the prevalence of poor mental health in the population and the coping methods used for psychological distress. The study also intends to gain information regarding psychological stress prior to migration, during the actual migration experience, and the psychosocial and psychological challenges after migrating. In addition, the study analyzes the family influences of mental health in relation to male gender roles. Through the art, the men were able to create narratives that described their experiences as Latino male immigrants. The men spoke about the emotional difficulties of leaving their homeland. The men also discussed the loneliness and financial instability they experiences when they first arrived to the country as immigrants. The men were also able to recognize some of their strengths and accomplishment. In addition, the men emphasized the importance of God and family in establishing happiness.

This research is an exploration of one art therapist’s journey into the somatic experience of trauma in art therapy treatment. An interview approach provided the opportunity for data collection through a rich dialogue in which the interviewee presented client art along with narrative discussion of the art therapy treatment. Out of the interview and the presented clinical material the following themes emerged: the presence of an early life trauma that affected the individual during their current functioning even years later, dissociation of the self through developmentally oriented age related experiential understanding of the trauma in memory, physical manifestations while discussing the traumatic event/s, nightmares, dissociation stemming from the traumatic event. In addition, the interview revealed fragmenting within the head region relating to cognition, behavioral characteristics of avoidance, and physical experiences within the stomach and head regions of the body particularly feeling as though oneself is overwhelmed and unable to contain the symptoms. The researcher’s reflective art process resulted in a greater understanding of the data and a deepened comprehension of the subjects.

This case study was conducted with a single elementary student from a non-public school setting with the use of art therapy as a treatment modality. The research explores case material through three different theoretical lenses. Three theories chosen were cognitive behavioral theory, psychodynamic theory, and narrative theory. Four questions were formed from each of the three theories to process the data. During the analysis, it was discovered that the three theories were consistently informing and integrating with each other. The integration demonstrated the potential for the theories to work together. Each theory’s perspective and emphasis was different and the perspectives were enhanced through the integration process. The final theoretical perspectives are explained in the findings.

This study involves an exploration of language acculturation and it’s reflection in the art of Latino American families. For Latino American families, language acculturation involves the processes of English language acquisition, Spanish language maintenance, and the formation of language identity. Included in this text is a literature review that presents articles focusing on the role language plays within Latino American families and articles focusing on the use of art therapy with Latino American populations. This study uses qualitative strategies involving the use of survey questions and phenomenological art based research procedures to gather information about Latino American experiences with language acculturation. Research participants included first generation parents and second generation adolescents from eight Latino American families. Research data consisting of art work and survey responses are used to answer research questions which serve as the framework for data analysis. Based on data collection and analysis, challenge, opportunity, and cultural identity were three prominent themes found to reflect the first and second generation Latino American participants’ experience with language acculturation. For first generation participants, challenges with language acculturation related to language brokering, limited English proficiency, and loss. Both first and second generation participants recognized opportunities associated with language acculturation and bilingualism that included greater social involvement, better employment with increased salary, and an improved sense of security and self-esteem. Second generation participants also conveyed a sense of pride in linguistic and cultural identity which involved the blending of Latino and American cultures.