This research explores mentorship as it developed through the lived experience of adolescents who participated in a community arts outreach program, for a lower SES Latino population. The purpose is to identify different roles of mentorships and relationships that contribute to the program. The literature review looked specifically into adolescents as mentors, understanding the developmental impact on mentees, such as peer relationships and natural mentors focusing on the Latino culture. The art therapy literature looked at art therapy and the affects on the Latino culture as well as art therapy process in community-based programs. Utilizing qualitative methodology the researcher conducted an open-based interview that including art directives. The collected data explored the lived experiences from two original members, based on their participation as mentee’s and mentors in the program. The results of the data emerged into themes that emphasize the value of mentors for adolescents, the value of natural mentors and the connection to collectivistic values in a Latino culture.

Syfte Manualbaserad bildterapi har bevisad effekt för vuxna med depression och en pilotstudie har undersökt metoden för ungdomar med depression. Denna studie undersökte bildterapeuters uppfattningar av att arbeta med manualbaserad bildterapi med ungdomar med depression. Metod Delfimetoden användes för att digitalt samla in fyra bildterapeuters uppfattningar av att arbeta med manualbaserad bildterapi med ungdomar. Öppna frågor analyserades med innehållsanalys vilket resulterade i kodad data. Koder sammanställdes till frågor och sedan formulerades påståenden utifrån expertpanelens skattningar. Studien pågick i fyra steg.   Resultat Denna studie visade bildterapeuters uppfattningar av att arbeta med manualbaserad bildterapi inom barn- och ungdomspsykiatri. Studiens expertgrupp omfattade alla experter som har använt manualen i denna kontext. Studien utmynnade i expertskattningar av 26 påstående inom kategorierna: tillfredsställelse, utveckling,struktur, ungdomsanpassning, individcentrering, terapeutens kunskap, flexibilitet, psykisk ohälsa och hälsofrämjande. Expertgruppen instämde helt i att bildterapeutens kompetens som bildterapeut, yrkeserfarenhet av målgruppen och bildövningarna var viktiga för behandlingen. Samtliga instämde också helt i att ungdomarnas självkännedom ökade och att manualen kunde vara användbar i delar. Bildterapeutiska processer och terapeutisk potential presenterades utifrån neurovetenskaplig kunskap. Slutsats Behandlingsutbudet för depression hos ungdomar är begränsad i Sverige. Ur denna studie framträder uppfattningar om manualbaserad bildterapi som metod och uppfattningar om dess lämplighet för andra ungdomar inom barn- och ungdomspsykiatrin. Expertgruppen prioriterade bildterapeutens specifika kompetens. Studiens storlek och behandlingens potential är skäl till att fler studier behövs. / Aims Manual-based art therapy [MBAT] has proven effective for adults with depression and a pilot study has examined it as a treatment för adolescents with depression. This study aims to investigate art therapists’ impressions of using MBAT with adolescents with depression.   Methods The Delphi method was used to digitally collect four art therapists’ impressions of using MBAT with adolescents. Content analysis of open questions resulted in coded data. Codes formed the basis for questions and statements were formulated based on the ratings of the expert panel. The study was conducted in four stages.   Results   This study shows art therapists impressions of MBAT within adolescent psychiatry. The expert panel included all art therapists with relevant experience. The study culminated in ratings of 26 statements within the categories: satisfaction, development, structure, adolescent modifications, individual-centred, therapist expertise, flexibility, mental illness and well-being. The panel consistently recognized that the art therapist’s expertise as an art therapist, experience from working with the patient group, and the art interventions themselves as essential to the treatment. The panel found that adolescents’ self-knowledge improved and considered isolated  components of the manual useful. The therapeutic processes and potential of art therapy are presented based on current neurological understanding. Conclusion Recommended treatments for adolescent depression are limited in Sweden. This study highlights impressions of MBAT and belief in its suitability for other adolescents within adolescent psychiatry. The expert group prioritized the specific expertise of the art therapist. The limited size of the panel and the promise of MBAT are reasons for further study.

This research adopts a heuristic method of inquiry to explore the intersections of social justice theory, cultural humility, and community art therapy to strengthen both the internal awareness and art therapy practices of the researcher. Data was collected over a structured eight-week period through art-making and reflective writing. Six core themes were extrapolated from the data, which were then applied to the researcher’s experience with a community-based art therapy engagement. Through this process of investigating authentic self-reflection and deep consideration for community-based applications, the researcher illuminated personal biases, beliefs, and assumptions to better understand personal and societal implications of the adoption of a more culturally humble art therapy practice.

Five graduate students from the Marital and Family Art Therapy Program at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) conducted a research study to explore the characteristics and attributes of collective art practices and how they contribute to healing. A survey including quantitative measures and qualitative responses were administered on the Qualtrics platform, allowing for a wide geographic reach and rapid data collection. The subsequent qualitative analysis involved the creation of visual artworks by the researchers, utilizing the arts as data to identify additional common themes contributing to healing attributes. The data revealed three major themes, or characteristics, of how art contributes to healing: (1) shared collective experience, (2) validation and space for emotional expression, and (3) art as a conduit of healing. These three themes were recurrent throughout the responses and emerged from participants' responses to three specific questions, driven by a curiosity about the attributes and experiences involving art and community. The results gathered not only provided parallel alignment with significant deviation from those gathered during the literature review, but also shed light on the profound impact of creative expression in fostering well-being, cultivating interpersonal connections, and promoting emotional healing within collective settings. This insight offers valuable guidance for future researchers and art therapists, emphasizing the importance of incorporating collective healing elements into their practice and theoretical frameworks.

This qualitative research study presents an examination of the role that art making fulfills in the recovery efforts following the development of a physical disability due to a trauma. Preexisting literature informed the current study on art making’s ability to manage psychological and physical stressors that can accompany the development of a physical disability due to a trauma experience. The current study utilized a focus group to gain a better understanding of art making’s benefits by obtaining firsthand accounts from individuals with experience incorporating art making in their own recovery process. Data collected during the focus group suggests that the art making process is beneficial as part of the recovery efforts. Data showed that art making possesses the ability to aid with the processing of psychological and physical stressors encountered during recovery, and functions as an integrative process that helps individuals to accommodate their new identities. Such findings suggest that the inclusion of art therapy, of which art making is the core foundation, can be a beneficial component to incorporate into recovery efforts.

This research investigates the researcher’s experience of the integration of art making within sensorimotor psychotherapy as they relate to the resolution of attachment trauma. The heuristic method of research inquiry was employed in which the researcher was the subject in the research. The basis for the research was an increasing awareness of attachment trauma present in her life history. A review of the literature yielded that a large body of research had been published on attachment theory, trauma, and art therapy. There existed at the time of the research inquiry a lack of literature exploring the utilization of art making in sensorimotor psychotherapy. Data was gathered in the form of artworks created during individual psychotherapy with a psychologist certified in sensorimotor psychotherapy and in the form of post-session reflective writings. The artworks and post-session writings were analyzed. Themes that substantiated the research inquiry emerged. Multiple meanings were derived from this research. A primary meaning was the recognition that the therapeutic alliance coupled with art making and sensorimotor psychotherapy provided a secure environment for integration of attachment trauma. Further research is warranted. There is a potential for development of methodology for incorporating art making into sensorimotor psychotherapy for clients with whom the process is merited. Future iterations of the developed protocol might include replications of the study and modification and expansion of the protocol. The protocol could be employed for processing other types of trauma. Additionally, there is a need for more art therapists who are concurrently trained in sensorimotor psychotherapy.

This qualitative case study examined art therapy services offered by Loyola Marymount University's Helen B. Landgarten Art Therapy Clinic to university students and staff amidst the transition back to in-person services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of interventions and clinical themes that emerged as a result of the services offered to members of the university as they transitioned back to in-person services. Two focus groups were held to gather data from participants and facilitators of the workshops. The analysis of this data led researchers to find that the art therapy services resulted in decreased stress and created a sense of community support amongst both participants and facilitators. In addition, the researchers found other emergent clinical themes that were illuminated in the data collected from both focus groups. The findings from this study are supported by literature that aligns with the outcomes from the workshops: being effective in managing stress and building community support.

The researchers in this project studied the prevalence and impact of burnout among first responders, after which they produced CRISP (Creative Resilience Initiatives for Service Providers), a groundbreaking art therapy-based program published in an electronic book format aimed at addressing burnout and fostering resilience among first responders. Our program aims to foster resilience by integrating art therapy's Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) model with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and anti-racism strategies. The ETC model aligns with inclusive and diverse practices as it emphasizes a system-focused approach in using creativity, self-reflection, and cultivation of effective body-mind empathy. The CRISP eBook features 18 arts-based activities, each accompanied by relevant psychoeducation and self-reflective questions. These activities engage first responders in kinesthetic, sensorial, perceptual, affective, cognitive, and symbolic components of information processing in the ETC, utilizing multifaceted creativity as a powerful tool for building resilience and countering burnout signs that can lead to depersonalized and biased practices in their work. Future studies are warranted to assess the efficacy of art interventions, such as those explored in the CRISP eBook, in addressing the unique stressors faced by first responders.

This research explores the question: how does an art therapist’s understanding of God as Creator form his/her identity and inform his/her clinical practice? A review was done in the art therapy, spirituality and psychology integration, and creation theology literature to look at existing research that answers this question. A lack of information in the art therapy literature prompted the development of this study to respond to this inquiry. This involved gathering data from LMU MFT graduates who expressed in a survey that they were willing to participate in this study. Four graduates were able to attend an art workshop to explore the research question. Qualitative data was gathered from observing the participants’ process, artwork, and discussion in the workshop as well as their written reflections sent in three weeks later. This data was analyzed by looking at emergent themes that were then compared with the literature. Two significant conclusions were drawn from the data. The first was that an awareness and understanding of God as Creator can provide a unique perspective of self and others that has a considerable impact on an art therapist’s view of his/her role and approach to clinical work. The second conclusion was that there is a powerful connection between spirituality and creativity, that when allowed to enter into the therapeutic space, can enhance transformation and healing. These conclusions have important implications for the training and practice of art therapists. Further research is recommended to expand the data as well as focus on specific areas that this research was unable to cover.

This research project aims to explore how art therapists use textiles in clinical practice and personal artmaking and to learn about the perceived benefits and challenges of this type of work. The study utilizes a Qualtrics survey, with 70 participants, and a focus group methodology, with 4 art therapists. Through the analysis of the participants’ conversations, artwork, and survey information, emergent themes were identified related to examining biases of gender identity, challenges related to considerations of time, the repetitive and slow nature that are particular mindful qualities of textile making, potentially heightened benefits of textile work with children and adolescents, and a call to reexamine boundaries of technique with the inclusion of unstructured textile exploration. Art therapists described benefits for clients particularly related to trauma work, grounding, and sense of mastery. These themes emphasized findings that illuminate the value of working with textiles in personal artmaking and in art therapeutic environments.