This article presents the structures and functions of three large scale brain networks (LSBN) in cognition and suggests parallels with functioning of the Cognitive and Symbolic components of the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC). Comparisons explored include connectivity in adaptive functioning, disconnection in psychopathology, 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…

The 2013 revision of the "Ethical Principles for Art Therapists" added creativity as a core value underlying the profession. At the same time, the ethical principles also included a nondiscrimination clause to protect the interests of nonnormative clients. In this article I explore creativity as a basic human right, promoted through…

In this article the authors draw on their own experience and research in applied theatre in Kenya in order to reflect on challenges currently facing practitioners working in the country. In order to outline the range of challenges faced by practitioners, issues related to the wider landscapes of government and politics in Kenya are explored,…

This paper examines the cultivation of artistic sensibility and its impact on the art therapy process and product in a community mental health center. Artistic sensibility embodies the sense of self as an artist through the integration of artistic and aesthetic attributes of self and other. The formation of a gallery to exhibit patient art was…

Despite voluminous literature on trauma, studies on specific trauma and art expression remain sparse. Recurring graphic forms produced by sexual abuse victims have appeared in art therapy publications dating back to Naumburg (1958), but links between sexual abuse-assault and recurring graphic forms were not considered. In 1973, this author began a…

Although many clinicians use drawing tasks to assess children who have been exposed to family violence, few professionals are aware of current research in this area. Professionals should be apprised of the graphic indicators of child abuse in drawings, reliable art-based assessment tools, and legal and ethical principles surrounding the use of…

Reviews two long-term case studies examining the art produced by two artistically gifted Down Syndrome patients. Their work shows a unique personal style characterized by flat, nonperspective compositions, canonical and mixed profile shapes, and symmetry. Both artists depict androgynous persons in their untutored drawings. Includes drawing samples…