Darbe atlikta teorinė elgesio ir emocijų sunkumų turinčių vaikų samprata, sutrikimų atsiradimo priežastys, dailės terapijos galimybės bendravimo įgūdžių plėtojimui, analizė. Kvazieksperimento metodu atliktas tyrimas, kurio tikslas - ištirti dailės terapijos poveikį bendravimo įgūdžių plėtojimui, ugdant priešmokyklinio amžiaus vaikus, turinčius elgesio ir emocijų sunkumų. Atlikta matematinė aprašomoji duomenų analizė, pateikta naudojant atvejo analizės metodą. Tyrime dalyvavo patogiuoju būdu atrinkti 9 priešmokyklinio amžiaus vaikai, turintys elgesio ir emocijų sunkumų, kurie sudarė tikslinę grupę. Empirinėje dalyje analizuoti stebėjimo protokoluose užfiksuoti duomenys apie bendravimo įgūdžių raišką, dinamiką dailės terapijos sesijos metu, stebėtas poveikis. Diagnostinių piešinių testais analizuota ugdytinių bendravimo įgūdžių požymių kaita. Ieškota bendravimo įgūdžių požymių piešiniuose bei bendravimo įgūdžių duomenų, fiksuotų stebėjimo protokoluose, sąsajos. Atlikus tyrimo duomenų analizę, suformuluotos pagrindinės išvados: • Stebėjimo protokolų duomenys parodė tendenciją dailės terapijos sesijų metu pasireikšti pozityviai bendravimo raiškai. • pirminio ir baigiamojo diagnostinių H-T-P piešinių rezultatai atskleidė bendravimo požymių piešiniuose kitimą teigiama linkme. Žemos savivertės, agresyvumo, depresyvumo požymių, įtakojančių žemą bendravimo poreikį ar neigiamą bendravimo raišką, sumažėjo, o bendravimo poreikio požymių padaugėjo. / The paper deals with theoretical analysis of children with emotional and behavioral difficulties and opportunities of art therapy in developing communication skills. The purpose of investigation was to find out whether art therapy has a positive effect on the development of communication skills of preschool children with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Quasi-experimental method was used to investigate art therapy effect. The mathematical descriptive analysis of the data was presented using the case study method. The study included 9 preschool children with behavioral and emotional difficulties, target group was selected using convenient way. In empirical part were analyzed data, about resolution skills and dynamics of the art therapy in sessions. By the help of diagnostic drawing tests attributes of communication skills were analyzed and captured in monitoring protocols. After the data analysis, the most important empirical conclusions that were drawn are: 1. Performed experiment revealed positive effect of art therapy on the development of social and communication skills. 2. Monitoring protocols showed a tendency to unfold the expression of positive communication 3. H-T-P drawing test results revealed positive direction. Low self-esteem, aggression, depressive symptoms, affecting the low need for communication or expression of negative communication decreased after experiment.

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie studie was om vas te stel of kunsterapie wei suksesvol aangewend kan word met die anorexia nervosa-lyer. Daar is spesifiek gefokus op die verbetering van die selfkonsep van die adolessent met anorexia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa en kunsterapie is bespreek. Daar is aandag gegee aan die spesifieke kenmerke wat kuns geskik maak vir terapeutiese aanwending in die bebandeling van die anorexia nervosa-lyer. Die praktiese toepassing van kunsterapie is uiteengesit met die Jdem op kunsterapeutiese tegnieke wat fokus op die verbetering van die selfkonsep van die adolessent met anorexia nervosa. Twee adolessente wat met anorexia nervosa gediagnoseer is, is as proefpersone vir die studie gebruik. Die Adolessente-Selfkonsepskaal (ASKS) en die Sacks Sinsvoltooiingsmedium is as voor- en natoetse ingeskakel om die stand van die twee proetpersone se selfkonsep te bepaal. Kunsterapie is vir twaalf sessies met die proefpersone gedoen. Uit die navorsingsresultate is tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat kunsterapie gelei het tot 'n verbetering rakende aspekte van die seltkonsep van die adolessent met anorexia nervosa. Kunsterapie is positief beleef deur die proefpersone. Gevoelens kon op 'n nie-bedreigende manier geeksploreer word en onopgeloste situasies kon met vrymoedigheid aangespreek word. / The aim of this study was to assess and describe the potential value of art therapy as an intervention strategy for the treatment of adolescents suffering from anorexia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa was described and defined. Diagnostic criteria, the manifestation and contributory causes, as well as the treatment and the prognosis for recovery, were discussed. Art therapy, as well as specific therapeutic techniques suitable for the anorexia nervosa sufferer were explained. The specific objective of the study was to determine the influence of certain art therapy techniques on the self-concept of two adolescents suffering from anorexia nervosa. The results indicated that there were significant changes in the self-concept of the two adolescents. Art therapy can be an effective therapeutic intervention strategy for the adolescent suffering from anorexia nervosa and gives the client the opportunity to come to tenns with the self in a non-threatening way. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Sielkundige Opvoedkunde)

As second-year graduate students from LMU’s Art Therapy program, we are excited to introduce the focus of our Master’s research project, a concept we coined as exhibition as intervention. Our goal is to create a space that brings awareness to the possibilities of exhibition to amplify the voice and increase empathy between artist and viewer. Originally, our vision was to hold the exhibition at Cedars-Sinai to supplement the 2020 Art Therapy Research Symposium. With COVID-19 placing restrictions on public gatherings, the exhibition had to transform from a physical experience to a virtual one. The catalog which began as our secondary focus to the exhibition, shifted to become the primary source of communicating our intentions. Informed by the literature of our research, we felt a catalog best collected and organized the data, which in this case was the artwork submitted. It is our great privilege to present this catalog with the works of artists engaging in the creative process to make meaning of their experiences with cancer.

Therapeutic outcomes are explored in a series of case studies where art therapy and storytelling interventions are used with clients. Stories utilized in the study include picture book stories, fairytales, and self-generated narratives. Additionally, the study’s participants created art responses that took such forms as illustrations and altered books. Research questions that were investigated were: When children receiving art therapy engage with stories created by others or the author, how do they respond?; When children receiving art therapy create their own stories, how do they respond?; and Is there archetypal or other psychologically meaningful content in the author’s picture book? Main subjects of the study were clients ages 9 to 12 receiving individual and group therapy services from the author at The Whole Child in Whittier, California. The author was also a subject in the study. She studied her picture book for significant content. A case study approach was used to highlight themes of psychological or therapeutic relevance for all participants. Biographical data as well as responses to interventions were recorded in assessment and progress notes. Additionally, the therapist shared a piece of her own creative writing for each case study in order to understand clients through the storytelling process. Then the biographical data, story, art responses, and creative writing pieces were studied to look for any connections and to draw conclusions. Based on these results, it appears that sharing pre-existing stories with clients or asking clients to create their own stories has therapeutic value. Not only did these interventions appear to aid clients’ expressions, but they also helped the therapist gain important understandings about clients. Similar analysis of the author’s picture book brought to light themes of psychological importance that increased her self-understanding.

This research paper explores the use of creative arts therapies with children and families in a pediatric hospital setting as experienced by the therapists who provide these services. The research investigates art therapy, music therapy and dance/movement therapy at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), with an in depth consideration of the role of art therapy services in this setting. The researchers reviewed general literature regarding hospitalization, specifically its effects on children and families, availability and role of psychosocial services and the intensive care units (ICU). Literature discussing creative arts therapies (art therapy, music therapy and dance/movement therapy) was also reviewed, with a focus on art therapy and its role in medical settings with children/families, with pediatric cancer patients and in psychosocial services. Based on information gleaned from the literature review, the researchers crafted an online survey utilized to gather information regarding the experience of providing creative arts therapies in a pediatric hospital setting. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with three selected survey respondents to further explore these experiences through interview questions and art making. The qualitative data from survey/interview responses, including the art, was reviewed and analyzed by the researchers. Analysis of the data resulted in five prominent themes from the online survey data: being present, family, support, change and identity. Four prominent themes emerged from the interview data: empowerment, culture, being present and identity. The researchers then examined these themes in the context of the general and art therapy literature. The meanings derived from these findings demonstrate the importance of continued and expanded use of creative arts therapies in pediatric hospitals.

This study explores how Landgarten’s Family Art Assessment can provide clinicians with valuable information about families that can be used to advocate for the needs of the children in the family. A comprehensive literature review covers family assessments using art developed by Psychologists, family art assessments created by art therapists, and the benefits of using them in clinical treatment. The researcher utilized a qualitative research approach. The data gathering took the form of surveys and semi-structured interviews with clinicians at a community mental health agency following their participation/observation in a Family Art Assessment administered to a family on their caseload by a board certified art therapist. The researcher used textual analysis of the interview transcription to identify emergent themes. The emergent themes included: the impact of domestic violence, power dynamic, disconnection, and the therapist’s efforts to increase connection and communication in the family. Study findings indicate that Family Art Assessments, when used as a consultation service administered by an experienced art therapist, can serve as an invaluable tool to provide clinicians with a more complete understanding of the families they are treating quicker than verbal therapy assessment methods alone. The findings also indicate that the Family Art Assessment helped clinicians conceptualize their cases from a more systemic perspective that considers the children’s environment and relational patterns within the family as contributing to their problem behaviors and symptoms, and allowed clinicians to envision a path in treatment that included advocating for the children’s needs.

This research explores the impact of a three day Artist Residency Program at a K-8th public school on a Native American Reservation. The program is evaluated through a lens of Social Action Art Therapy and aims to uncover how this program impacted a community— including teachers, students, and parents, and facilitators. The researcher examined social action literature, social action art literature, social action art therapy literature, as well as social action with Native Americans literature. The researcher used a qualitative approach, specifically an Inquisitive Case study, in which data was collected through the researchers notes. These notes then informed the creation of a survey that was given to teachers as well as the Artist Residency program facilitators. Next, the researcher conducted interviews for further examination of the impact. All the data was placed into an organizing table in which four main themes and three minor themes emerged. The resulting data themes include: 1) Art illuminated the students Native American Hoopa identity and culture, 2) art increased student participation, facilitated storytelling, and conversations about the student’s feelings and art provided a sense of agency, 3) art created and strengthened bonds among the students, teachers, parents and facilitators and facilitators were seen as role models for the students, and 4) the facilitator’s desire to be involved in similar art therapy social action projects increased as they were personally and professionally impacted by the Artist Residency Program. Three minor themes include: a) Some teachers found new ways to integrate art in their classroom, b) the foreign art medium choice increased risk taking, engagement, creativity as well as provided students with new skills, c) some changes noted, more time needed to see larger change. These themes were then examined in the context of art therapy social action literature and findings suggested positive impacts of the social action art therapy informed Artist Residency program.

University of the Witwatersrand Department of Humanities Wits School of the Arts Drama for Life: (MADT) Master of Arts in Drama Therapy / The body has always fascinated me! As a classically trained dancer with a Physical Theatre background, I learnt to use my body as a means of expressing myself. I saw the body as a means to performance, but I believed there was more to the body than just being put on show. In University I learnt about and came to understand the mind-body connection (Plamer, 2009). This interested me and I began to search deeper, with the question that if the body and mind are connected, where are our human memories stored? I have always wondered what moves me and what moves the people around me… This research was a platform for me to look into the notion of the mind, body connection and memory. Through the use of story and movement, I began to consider bullying as a memory which the body and mind both experience. Through the research I focused on where the body had stored this experience and what were the effects of this stored memory (the aftermath). The rest of this paper unpacks my research and my findings working with a client centred approach. In this paper I speak back to the approach I took during the research process, using Laban’s 8 Effort actions, Lahad’s 6 Part Story Method and Whitehouse’s Authentic Movement as part of the integration process speaking back to bullying.

The results of this study showed the presence of real changes in a number of measured factors. As part of the study, a program of art-therapeutic training, as well as methods for assessing its effectiveness, was formed and tested. According to the data obtained, it was concluded that art therapy training can have a harmonizing effect, leading the results to normal values. / Результаты настоящего исследования показали наличие действительных изменений по ряду измеряемых факторов. В рамках исследования была сформирована и апробирована программа арт-терапевтического тренинга, а также методики оценки ее результативности. Согласно полученным данным сделан вывод о том, что арт-терапевтический тренинг может оказывать гармонизирующее воздействие, приводя результаты к показателям нормы.

This paper explores the use of quantitative assessments typically used in research to evaluate experiences of cancer patients and survivors receiving group art therapy services. Literature exploring program evaluation as a methodology, how current research selects standardized measurement tools for the evaluation of art therapy interventions with adult cancer patients and survivors, and on the efficacy of art therapy with this population is reviewed. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from four participants, who were clients in two eight-week art therapy groups. Quantitative data were collected in the form of pre- and post-test measurements using six commonly used standardized quality of life assessment tools. Qualitative data were collected via focus groups and art responses. Quantitative data were analyzed to identify general trends in the pre- and post-test measures, demonstrating that no significant positive shifts in symptoms or well-being were documented in the tests. Qualitative data were then analyzed to identify six prominent themes, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the participants’ experience of the tests, the participants’ perceived personal value of the tests, pre- and post-test measures as containment of experience, art responses as accurate representations of the benefits of art therapy, participants’ passion for art therapy, and participants’ feelings that standardized tests did not accurately capture their experience in the group. These findings were then examined in the context of the literature reviewed, and it was concluded that while standardized assessments have a valuable place in research, they do not effectively capture the lived experience of participants in art therapy groups. Furthermore, future research should continue to explore the value of qualitative research, including that which uses art-making, in evaluating art therapy programs and effectiveness.