This study is an art exploration of the combined use of mindfulness practice, cultivated through a body-scan meditation, and art-making in mitigating compassion fatigue for a beginning clinician. The researcher used an arts-based inquiry with a quantitative component in her data collection and analysis. A reliable, evidenced-based test was self-administered at the beginning and end of the data collection to measure compassion fatigue and compassion satisfaction. The arts-based inquiry included the researcher engaging in a body-scan meditation, journaling, and art-making over a period of four weeks as methods to process the relationship between mindfulness practice, art-making practice, and compassion fatigue in her clinical work at a community based mental health agency. The body-scan meditation provided insight into the clinician’s experiences and conceptual understandings. Journaling provided a tool for reflection and analysis of the researcher’s engagement in mindfulness and art-making. The art-making process offered a more in-depth understanding of the researcher’s application of mindfulness, as a tool, in clinical practice with her clients. The One-Canvas Process Painting can be utilized as a tool to reflect the researcher’s transformative learning process about her countertransference with clients. The data analysis in this study indicates that engaging in mindfulness practice and art-making practice can increase a beginning clinician’s compassion satisfaction within her clinical work.

This study employed a mixed method approach to explore perceptions of healing, particularly as it relates to the mind, body and spirit. The data was collected via a questionnaire consisting of word lists, scaling questions, narratives and an art based component among thirty-two yoga therapy students and twenty-one art therapy students at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA. The information gathered was used to explore, compare and contrast the perceptions of healing within and between the two groups. The findings suggested that both study groups shared similar concepts about the integration of the mind, body and spirituality in their healing journeys while decidedly demonstrating the importance in personal change and growth in their perceived healing experiences. However the yoga therapy participants appeared to take a more concrete approach that was directly related to the practice of yoga and its philosophy, whereas the art therapy participants seemed to take a broader and more intuitive path. These differences were especially noted in the expressive art pieces.

A qualitative research study presents a thorough examination of a group art therapy curriculum for child survivors of disaster or traumatic events. A review of the existing literature was used to inform the current study. The researcher utilized focus group method of inquiry to gain a better understanding of the topic from experts in the art therapy field. Through the gathering of data and analysis, the findings suggest that the curriculum developed to assist child survivors of traumatic events or disasters has intrinsic value and can assist in the recovery process. The focus group provided a means to analyze the curriculum in a critical manner, allowing it to be adjusted and revised for implementation in the future. Drawing on their expertise in working with survivors of disaster or traumatic events, the focus group participants provided valuable feedback used to revise the proposed curriculum. The revised curriculum has the potential to provide safety and containment to encourage integration of the trauma amidst internal and external chaos that a disaster or traumatic event may evoke.

This arts-based and quantitative study looked at the effects of reflective art making as a tool for stress reduction, clinical insight and therapist identity formation. Research was completed by three Loyola Marymount University, art therapy graduate students. Data was collected over nine sessions consisting of inventory scores from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y), as well as artwork made in response to each participant’s client presentation. The research questions answered were: How does the reflective art-making process inform clinical identity as an art therapist? What effect did regular self-exploration have on burnout for the art therapist, as indicated by scores on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-Y) (Spielberger, 1983)? How was the process for each participant? Thematic analysis was used to identify themes and patterns within the data. Major findings suggest that reflective art making is a promising intervention for clinical insight, and art therapists’ identity formation. Furthermore, while the number of participants was not large enough to show statistical significance, there was a general decrease in anxiety among nearly all participants from the pre-test to the post-test. Practice implications are proposed and recommendations for further research are offered.

This research served to visualize levels of family satisfaction and quality of life in families with an Autistic member(s). Art-based qualitative survey was the primary method of gathering data. The vast majority of the literature on autism focused on the treatment of the child, yet some literature suggested a re-focusing on the family as the unit of treatment may improve family satisfaction and quality of life. Taking this into consideration this research explored how parents experience family satisfaction through written and visual responses. The theme of independence for the child with autism was present in all five visual responses which suggested a desire to see their child functioning autonomously. Due to the inherit bias of therapy’s affect on relationships it was surprising that approximately half of the participants reported not experiencing a change in their relationship with their child after treatment. Both the data gathered and the literature reviewed lead to the research conclusion that the caregivers of a child with Autism experience a higher level of family satisfaction when they are flexible and gain support from mental health services and a community of family and friends.

This phenomenological study examines the impact image-making experiences had on the leadership restructuring of a women’s religious congregation. Six Catholic women religious ranging in ages 65-85 participated in an arts-based workshop informed by art therapy theories to explore the meaning of making art during their Province Chapter meetings in which leadership restructuring was on the agenda. In addition, 42 of the 80 Province Chapter delegates responded to a survey about their experience. The data collected includes the survey, the workshop process, the images made by the six participants, their verbal sharing about their image, and their written reflections. Five common themes emerged from the study which speak to the impact the imagemaking process had on the organization’s leadership restructuring. Increased participation, enhanced communication, emergence of new ideas and insights, awareness of feelings, and embracing a sense of mystery or unknowing each affected the re-organizational process in a different way. The findings imply that art therapy theories and art therapists can benefit not only individuals in the clinical setting but also organizations and communities.

This qualitative research looked at the relational dynamics and attachment styles of research participants through individual and dyadic art-making tasks. This research is a replication study of Snir & Wiseman’s (2010) research on Attachment in Romantic Couples and Perceptions of a Joint Drawing Session. In this particular research, three couples completed a demographic questionnaire, the ECR-S, the DAS, an individual art-making task, and a joint nonverbal drawing task with their partner, followed by a verbal reflection facilitated by researchers. Researchers found patterns suggesting attachment style may be correlated with an individual’s cultural background, relationship satisfaction, past relationship experience, and the dyadic art making process and product. Limitations and considerations were further discussed for future research.

This qualitative research aimed to explore how art therapy may enhance attunement when working with families who have involvement with Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). The study utilized a focus group methodology to examine the experience of two art therapists with backgrounds in treating families involved with DCFS. Through the analysis of the participants’ discussion, artwork and reflections, several subsequent emergent themes were revealed. These themes exposed various barriers within the system that may complicate the therapeutic relationship, as well as qualities within the art process, which act as an equalizer and source of containment. These themes illuminated findings that support the role of art in building attunement, as well as questions for future research regarding families with child welfare involvement.

A six week self-study was conducted to explore the use of regular contemplative practice and art-making to examine effects on the life of an art therapy graduate student. This study examined a three-fold inquiry regarding the use of contemplative practices, namely Buddhist meditation, as well as weekly reflective art making to broaden self-knowledge and enhance general wellbeing. Further implications of the use of contemplative practice and reflective art making were reviewed for clinical application in the field of art therapy, both for the client and art therapist.

This paper investigates how the meditation practice and the self-reflective art of an art therapy trainee informed clinical work with an adolescent client. The self-reflective process included Jon Kabat-Zinn’s 29-minute body scan meditation, a review of the client’s artwork, and a response painting. This course of action was documented in a visual journal form. A hermeneutic interviewing process, or a process of open-ended questioning and dialogue, was used to find out whether or not the therapist’s understanding of the client’s experience matched with his own understanding. His responses were utilized to examine the validity of the findings. The findings support the concept of art psychotherapy as an advantageous approach to opening communication with adolescents because of its ability to permeate defenses (Linesch, 1988; Wadeson, 2010). They also support the idea that responsive art-making increases the empathic response of the therapist (Moon, 1999) and awareness of counter-transference issues (Franklin, 1999). Additionally, meditation facilitated the reflective art process by promoting clarity, focus, and authenticity, and thus, greater insight. There is limited research about the integration of meditative practices in art therapy. The research also indicates that attuned suggestion, although based on the therapist’s subjective experience, encourages the client’s sense of feeling understood. The field of art therapy would benefit from more research about methods of interpretation that avoid the arrogance of assumption. More self-reflective research is needed in our field because these methods increase the competence of practitioners.