The Florida State University (FSU)/Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) Art Therapy in Prisons Program is contractually required to conduct an annual art exhibition of the participants' work. Originally to be held inside the institutions, it evolved into a single art exhibition at an annual state-wide conference for prison educators. This…

Internal Family Systems (IFS) and art therapy each provide distinctive processes for working within the psychological realm of individuals. Many of their respective goals and techniques are consistent with the underpinnings research finds essential to inform effective trauma care. This article provides an overview of IFS theory and then, through…

During the unprecedented time of COVID-19, one art therapist noticed that her clients created images expressing their loneliness. To foster a sense of community catharsis, the art therapist worked with her clients to create an art display at a public mall to enable the general population to receive secondary therapeutic support for their own…

The proportion of students studying in higher education institutions who are experiencing mental health needs is increasing and becoming a serious concern. Using participatory arts projects may be key to enabling students to maintain well-being despite the pressures inherent in their student role. Therefore, this study aimed to ascertain whether…

Creative art-based therapies (cABT) provide a creative non-pharmacological approach in therapy to people with dementia and can potentially improve their personhood. This review identified cABT that focused on the personhood of persons with dementia living in residential facilities and determined how quality of life (QOL) or well-being were…

This study explores teachers' perspectives on mandala coloring as a therapeutic tool for middle grades students with disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs). Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the research first conducted qualitative interviews with ten experienced teachers, followed by teachers' quantitative assessments of 60…

Questioning whether the hierarchy of evidence is a good fit for the art therapy profession furthers the scholarly climate of art therapy research practices. Contemporary art therapy research practices are reviewed in 8 notable areas: effectiveness, salience, functionality, appropriateness, safeness, cost-effectiveness, program satisfaction, and…

Reflections on 5 decades of art therapy experience continuously return to a focus on how art heals. This question is addressed along two lines of thought. The first acknowledges the simultaneous existence of transcultural, shared dimensions of art, together with infinite differences in people, communities, and artistic expressions. The second…

This study explored the therapeutic value of sharing artwork in a public exhibition called Bearing Witness by individuals who experienced trauma through stillbirth, infertility, or miscarriage. This qualitative study investigated the experiences of seven women who exhibited artwork about their losses or attended as witnesses. Results revealed that…

This study explored tattoos in relation to art therapy by examining motivations for obtaining them and their connection to healing. Participants consisted of 239 college students (122 with tattoos, 117 without) who completed a mixed-methods survey. Results indicated differences for age, gender, and level of education between those who have tattoos…

The study evaluated the impact of an international online summer program for art therapy students from Mexico, the United States, and Israel on their cultural and global perspectives. Quantitative (pre- and post-program measures of the Global Perspective Inventory) as well as qualitative tools (focus groups, art and written responses) were used.…

Since the beginning of the field, many art therapists have used artwork as a practice to help them manage and understand their work with clients. In contemporary times, this form of creativity is known as response art. Some of the original writings about response art refer to its use to elucidate countertransference. This article provides an…

This pilot study examined parental responses to artistic processes and products in the framework of art-based parental training (ABPT), which was offered concurrent to child art therapy. Thirty-four parents and their children completed scales before and after the 10 month program. Results showed several positive correlations between changes in…

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global, collective, traumatic experience. Trauma-aware museum educators can play a therapeutic role in helping visitors reengage with life as the world reopens. This article explores the dynamics of what a trauma-aware approach to engaging with art may be, specifically detailing methods that can create new cognitive,…

The purpose of this study is to analyze how immigrant youths' experiences of collage art therapy were shown in their emotional changes. Research question is as follow: How do the emotional changes of immigrant youths, who participated in the collage group art therapy program, appear in their art works? For this end, 3 immigrant youths were chosen…