In order to provide clinical utility for research of how art therapists perceive clients' inner change, the authors created a structured observational framework. This note-taking and assessment consist of five themes and sub-themes: Therapeutic Alliance, Creating, Affect-Awareness, Self-Awareness, and Ego-Strength. The framework was designed to be…

This practice paper demonstrates an art therapy session that revealed the internalized monstrous and demonic identities amongst those who have sexually offended. Several of the participants represented their shadow-self as: (1) nebulous demonic self-representations, (2) internalized monstrous selves as hurtful or uncontrolled, or (3) a dichotomy…

A diorama, a three-dimensional scene created within a box or vessel, can be used in art therapy to explore aspects of the sexual self, including: sexual identity, fantasy, and desire, as well as issues pertaining to self-image, gender identity, and sexual empowerment. Based on case examples in workshop settings, the sexuality diorama intervention…

Art therapy group can facilitate professional and self advocacy efforts to increase awareness of eating disorders. Imagine Me Beyond What You See art competition was the catalyst for the development of an art therapy group to raise awareness for eating disorders and body image by reimagining a mannequin. Participant testimonials demonstrate how…

The multicultural orientation framework centers on three pillars of cultural humility, cultural opportunities, and cultural comfort. Cultural humility is the foundational pillar that encompasses intrapersonal and interpersonal essence of which cultural self-awareness is a vital component. Cultural self-awareness involves an awareness of a…

Art therapy reduces trauma-related psychopathology in refugee youth. Given the added stress of COVID-19 on traumatized refugee populations, we adapted art therapy for refugee youth and their families in the virtual space. We describe program development, implementation and experientials, and clinical recommendations illustrated through two cases.…

Portrait therapy entails an art therapist co-creating portraits of patients diagnosed with life-limiting illnesses and exhibiting it in a museum art gallery. A description of portrait therapy practice draws on the portraits, collages, and prose poems of two patients, along with feedback from exhibition visitors and patients' families. For…

Punk culture is based on an ideology that emphasizes questioning conformity and creating a space for individuality within community. It has inspired fans to create their own music and art as part of their quest for authenticity. Art therapy informed by punk culture can be a way to create a culture of connection while also building resiliency and…

Art classes are often sites for students with academic, social, emotional, and/or behavioral problems. Some school administrators and counselors recognize the benefits of art education and place students at-risk in art education classes. Most often art therapy is not part of coursework within art education programs, so K-12 educators have minimal…

This article describes a community art therapy program that was designed to promote health and well-being in old age. Observations of diverse participant interactions in the nondirective therapy studio over the course of 6 years revealed the benefits of art making and how it may influence well-being during the process of advancing age. Program…

In this brief report, two examples are presented of self-portraits spontaneously produced by chemically dependent patients who participated in art therapy while in an acute inpatient psychiatric hospital. The author concludes that self-portraits provide true-to-life representations of the diseased aspects of the self and enable patients to…

Cancer patients who have completed medical treatment are often left with unresolved psychological issues. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York offers a group art therapy program for cancer patients to help them regain their self-confidence and readjust their self-identity. The response of 70 participants has been positive and has…

Reports on therapeutic outcomes resulting from use of idiomatic expression in group art therapy with children with Attention Deficit Disorder or Hyperactivity and related disorders who are in the latency stage. Major issues emerged related to self-concept, peer socialization, and family relations. Idioms were shown to stimulate affective-laden…

Reviews some of the literature on seriously ill children and the use of art in counseling these children. Discusses self-concept, spontaneous drawings, and counseling techniques. Presents and comments on artwork produced in the last 18 months of the life of a young girl with leukemia. (ABL)

The Silver Drawing Test (SDT) and Draw A Story (DAS) test were designed to reveal a person's cognitive and emotional conditions. How these tests were developed and some of the research concerning their efficacy are detailed in this report. It opens with an overview of the SDT. The report then discusses recent studies on the test: "Sex and Age…