In the art educational therapy (AET) method introduced in this article, school coursework is integrated into art therapy with the aim of facilitating such learning and enhancing the emotional well-being of children with learning difficulties who have experienced stress or trauma. A grounded theory research study based on the cases of 5 middle…

Mentally ill patients engaging in art activities were seen to recover from their illnesses faster than those not so engaged. An art therapy profession has grown as the result of this observation and incorporates a variety of theoretical orientations ranging from highly educational to highly nondirective and analytic. (JD)

The roles of teachers and therapists, when dealing with troubled students, are clarified. If an art teacher is not trained as an art therapist, he or she cannot assume responsibility for addressing the emotional needs of these types of students. (RM)

While art education and art therapy each have distinctive features, they are not totally separate entities in the educational field, since overlap occurs in setting, subjects, training, theoretical orientation, and program content. (MB)

This article introduces supportive therapies for students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD). Strategies to help children cope with emotions are described. Bibliotherapy approaches and various expressive arts approaches to helping these children are discussed, and the role of leisure awareness and adventure recreation as therapies is…

This report on how Native American healing methods can be utilized in Western creative art therapy emphasizes that for Native Americans, art is an element of life--not a separate aesthetic ideal. Furthermore, American Indian philosophy does not separate healing from art or religion; the belief is that traditional healing, which uses shamanic…

Art therapy enhances the cognitive abilities of most students no matter how severely affected they may be. It also provides an emotional outlet and opportunity to gain self-worth. Schools would do well to seek out educator-therapists in the arts to serve the special needs of mainstreamed children. (LHW)

This guide provides recommendations and guidelines to expressive arts therapists and educators who work in school settings as therapists, supervisors, supervisees, or graduate school expressive arts interns. There are eight chapters: (1) Expressive Arts Therapies in School Settings (definitions, learning objectives, confidentiality, ethical…

This test, the Silver Drawing Test (SDT), evolved from a belief that the intelligence of children and adults who have poor language skills tends to be underestimated. The aim of the SDT is to provide an instrument for assessing the cognitive skills of individuals who have difficulty understanding others and making themselves understood. There are…

Designed for high school students interested in careers in special education and related services, this leaflet outlines the role of the art therapist. It addresses the nature of the work, the education required, personal qualities that art therapists should have, job outlook, and how to prepare for a career as an art therapist. Art therapists are…

The essays in this collection are grounded in theoretical underpinnings which range from Freud to Montessori. The focus encompasses educational and psychiatric concerns. Essays are organized in 4 parts. Part 1, "Theory of Art Therapy," includes: (1) "Art Therapy: Problems of Definition" (Elinor Ulman); (2) "Therapy is Not Enough: The Contribution…

A case study is presented of a 19-year-old deaf and legally blind boy who transcends his handicapping condition in using felt-tipped markers and tempera paints to produce graphic landscapes of urban life. Discussed are his choice of subjects, manner of working, the impact of art therapy, and therapeutic issues. (JDD)

Art therapy and group discussion aimed at self-exploration and interpersonal learning formed the core of a group treatment model for 13 mentally retarded, emotionally impaired adolescents. Students were divided into two groups according to levels of functioning. Group structure and issues processed by group members are described in detail. (JW)

Presented at the 1979 National Art Education Association Convention on the arts in special education, the paper focuses on studies of the aesthetic and therapeutic use of special art procedures with handicapped students. The art education needs of handicapped students are briefly discussed, along with the impact and implications of new…