The purpose of this study was to determine how trauma-informed approaches in an urban elementary school art room can foster empowerment in students who have been exposed to trauma and have developed Emotional and/or Behavioral Disorders. I implemented a pedagogy focused on promoting empowerment through art making, then collected data on the…

The intrinsic benefits of art making may be implicated in how and why people with mental illness turn to art therapy to aid their recovery. In this longitudinal multiple case study adult participants (N = 12) with severe and ongoing mental illness were recruited through their involvement in diverse community mental health art therapy programs. An…