Prior research suggests that creating art can reduce mental health symptoms, such as anxiety. It has also been proposed that creating art within the geometric shape of a circle may confer additional therapeutic benefits. However, it remains unclear whether creating art within a circle or creating art with no restrictions reduces anxiety in both…

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…

As our world endures multiple crises, educators have turned their eye to what does and does not work effectively to assist students in the school environment, regardless of changing landscapes, such as lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-critical race theory legislation, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, personal crises students face, as well…

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine how college students perceive and manage stress and anxiety in the university setting and explain their perceptions of the effects of MBAT, NCT, and MO on stress, anxiety, and general student functioning. Participants: 58 undergraduate college students participated in post-test interviews…

This study set out to quantitatively examine the influence of art practice on art therapy students' subjective well-being. A total of 158 Korean art therapy graduate students participated in the study, completing the Art Practice Scale and Concise Measure of Subjective Well-Being. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and…

There is little research on the transformational processes of creative arts therapies (CATs) students during training compared to other healthcare professions. CATs training relies on arts-based experiential learning that can develop the therapist's creative self-beliefs, psychological mindedness, and perspective-taking. This single group pre-post…

In 2015, programmatic accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) was initiated for art therapy education. The study examined art therapy faculty's perception of the CAAHEP accreditation process through a nation-wide online survey research. The mixed-method analysis supports the complexity of the…

The Person-in-the-Rain (PITR) drawing scoring system primarily assesses stress, excluding consideration of color usage. In contrast, the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS) effectively evaluates psychopathological disorders and provides a comprehensive assessment of color usage. This study aimed to: (1) develop an alternative scoring system…

To examine the complex layers of those who are multi-racial/ethnic/cultured, the mixed-identity of the first author -- an art therapy doctoral student -- is first deconstructed, followed by the delineation of systemic and historical contexts. This viewpoint further examines how the therapists' multiple identity[ies] informs and intersects with…

Undergraduate art therapy education programs in the United States have endeavored to prepare students for graduate level art therapy training and entry level positions in art facilitation since the mid-1970s with minimal published guidelines or established professional standards. The authors reviewed the art therapy literature regarding current…

This mixed methods study assessed the emotional impact of therapeutic art techniques in reducing subjective anxiety by comparing three options for drawing a self-portrait: literal self-portrait, mandala, and free drawing. Undergraduate college students (n = 60) were provided with a mood induction procedure and then randomly assigned to a drawing…

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…

Chinese students accounted for 40.4% of international students in South Korea in 2022. Universities in China require doctoral degrees to teach art. Creative arts therapy (CAT) has increasingly gained attention. In this study, we investigated the experiences of six Chinese students in a study abroad program for creative arts therapy in South Korea.…

This qualitative study addressed the problem of lack of racial and ethnic diversity in American graduate art therapy programs. Seven current art therapy students or recent graduates of color from one predominantly White institution participated in individual semi-structured interviews and a group meeting. Results of thematic analysis yielded four…

Medical students report high levels of psychological distress compared to the general population, yet they also underutilize mental health services. Our Mindfulness-Based Art Workshops (MBAW) combine two established, formal interventions: (a) Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, an 8-week group series teaching mindfulness practices, shown to reduce…