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…

Climate change is a well-documented challenge for human societies where human actions have spurred global warming leading to climate breakdown. Ecological disasters are already affecting the mental health of many people, and this is escalating. By painting elephants, I address "ambiguous" loss and demonstrate the power of art therapy to…

Repetition compulsion is a psychodynamic concept that explains an attempt to master trauma. This case study attempts to understand the possible meanings of symbol repetition that occurred in the art therapy process of a twelve-year-old boy with acute methylmalonic acidemia. Over 29 sessions of art therapy, the client demonstrated repetition…

This study explores artmaking as a therapeutic arts- and trauma-informed practice in critical inquiry with others during the collective activity of a happening. Happenings are nonhierarchical environments that offer the exciting, nontraditional promise of taking art off the walls and into a larger context. In the space of mutual respect and…

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…

Cumulative trauma is relatively undocumented in art therapy practice, although there is growing evidence that art therapy provides distinct benefits for resolving various traumas. This qualitative study proposes an art therapy treatment framework for cumulative trauma derived from semi-structured interviews with three art therapists and artistic…

A broad history of art therapy in the United States offers important perspectives on which to view contemporary art therapy practice and professional identity. This article provides descriptive research on the contributions of art therapist Wayne Ramirez, an active leader in the early days of the American Art Therapy Association whose attention…

Evidence that posttraumatic growth is a potential outcome in the process of recovery from trauma and natural disaster highlights the importance of social environmental factors that encourage a growth response in survivors. This art-based research project followed up on a group of youth survivors (N = 11) of the 2007 earthquake in the Ica region of…

A case study illustrates how art therapy was used to elicit the narrative of an adolescent male student in transition from incarceration to a transfer school setting. Childhood trauma was addressed in individual sessions and within a literacy group co-led by a reading specialist. The art therapist responded to the client's needs by broadening the…