Designed and tested battery of drawing techniques with scoring methodology appropriate for investigation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Variables as a whole and most hypothesized drawing features provided significant discrimination between age-matched controls and AD subjects. Capability to discriminate was also provided by objective measures of use…

Art therapy practice analysis surveys were completed by 1,125 Registered Art Therapists. Most respondents were females, Caucasian, and graduates of master's degree programs in art therapy. Respondents rated "creating therapeutic environment" as most important major responsibility of entry-level as therapists. (NB)

Examines the depiction of face features and limb extremities in the self-portraits of 98 35- to 85-year olds. Discusses results from a psychoanalytic perspective. The difficulties in representing the hands are discussed in relation to castration. The absence of face features in some of the elderly's drawings could indicate a minimal age-related…

Stories of adults participating in an art-making group designed to increase self-understanding show that art making, play, and experimentation in a place apart from everyday life enabled them to reclaim neglected aspects of the self and to explore and change their metaphorical self-portraits. (SK)

The focus of this study was art therapy students' and professionals' perceptions of their preparedness to understand and deal with technology as an art media and work tool within the practice of art therapy. To study the need for training in technology, surveys were sent to 177 current art therapy students and practicing art therapists resulting…

Presents a process combining a drawing experience with exercises learned in psychosynthesis training to help people discover what transpersonal qualities are attempting to manifest themselves through their personalities. (Author/BEF)

Based on five years observations, three items were more likely to appear in drawings of patients who relapsed within three months: (1) presence of psychoactive substances or drug paraphernalia; (2) lack of a figure representing the self or any detailed figure; (3) notable use of abstract or geometric drawing style. (LSR)

Fifteen adult female incest survivors participated in study which employed control group and two experimental groups. Participants rated significance of curative factors of catharsis, cohesion, and insight in their treatment. Results indicated that group art therapy, using series of structured tasks, increased value assigned to each of these…

Attempts to identify all published empirical evidence regarding art therapy effectiveness, as well as outcome trends associated with study design. Results reveal that three types of study designs produce very similar results regarding the positive effects of art therapy, but their conclusions may appear very different. (Contains 23 references and…

Using a case study, discusses the "seductive environment," a virtual environment of popular culture in which the human mind is seduced and turned into a "hungry ghost." Examines ideas about possible solutions through art therapy. Reviews the value of the creative process, contemplation, and Winnicott's idea of play. (Contains…

This qualitative study explored the verbal and art making responses of Japanese-American elders who experienced the trauma of internment during World War II. Six Nisei (second generation Japanese-Americans) were asked to recall memories of their experiences during and immediately following internment; 3 of the participants also created art images…

During the analysis of a survey of art therapy educators in 2001 (St. John, Kaiser, & Ball, 2004), issues of importance to art therapy and art therapy research education emerged. As a follow-up, the authors interviewed educators attending the 2002 Annual Conference of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) to gain an understanding of their…

In this overview, the author discusses the need for art therapy research, problems it entails, and types of research approaches which may be used. Appended is a commentary by Janie Rhyne outlining the design of her own research. This article is part of a theme issue on art therapy. (SJL)

Graduate art therapy students enrolled in a multicultural art therapy course were given the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure as a pretest and posttest to assess their own cultural identity. Results indicate that stronger cultural identification is possible following the completion of one multicultural art therapy course. (Contains 25 references…

Investigated relationship between anger and anger imagery and between anger and positive action. College students (n=46) completed social action questionnaire, drawing representing anger, and Spielberger's State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory. Found significant positive correlation between intensity of anger imagery and State Anger, and…