Different types of dance initiatives are being designed for people across their entire lifespan, and implemented in a wide range of health and well-being settings. The aims of these initiatives are to improve their physical and mental conditions. Research on the use of dance for health and well-being is also rapidly gaining momentum which suggests…

This experimental study examined the validity of 3 underlying mechanisms that have been proposed in the research literature to explain the anxiety-reducing effect of coloring mandalas: distraction, structure, and centering. Four conditions were tested: (a) freely coloring a mandala, (b) coloring a mandala with preset colors, (c) freely drawing a…

This paper describes case study research of four years of a support group for self-identified international students on an MA Art Psychotherapy programme. The research sought to understand the role of the group in the processing of international students' issues, to broaden thinking on the internationalising of curricula. A key finding was that…

Community members and staff at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Learning Exchange collectively created a theatre piece, based on stories from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES), entitled "Voices UP!" This article examines the impact this project had on four DTES community members who took part in the collective creation…

"Sharing the Douglas/Sharing the Museum," a collaboration program of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), the Douglas Mental Health Institute and the Department of Creative Arts Therapies at Concordia University, serves patients from the Eating Disorder Unit of the Douglas. Participants eat lunch at the museum and look at, talk…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of art therapy for 9 children with autism spectrum disorder in India using a pre-post experimental design with a control group. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale was used to measure symptoms before and after 8 individual art therapy sessions, and changes in the children's art development was…

This article examines the context and content of 15 drawings created in the early 1990s by Guatemalan children who survived government-led systemic violence against their Maya Tz'utujil community. Titled "Children in Crisis," all 15 drawings collected by Albert Hurwitz depict similar stories of loss and violence. Considering the…

From an opportunity to explore Cuba in a people-to-people exchange that included study of its history and society; discussions with members of the Cuban community, artists, guides, and a professor; and personal experiences while traveling, this viewpoint offers insights into the sociopolitical culture and creative engagement within which the Cuban…

Alienation and moral disengagement have been described in the literature as some of the key factors for making some people more vulnerable to violent extremism. In this paper, I explore how mindfulness training, especially when paired with art therapy strategies, has great potential for supporting targeted educational measures for building…

A particular political and social mindset toward mental health support has impacted how and why people seek counseling and therapy in Ukraine. Although a relatively small and developing field, art therapy is beginning to provide a means for assisting cultural and identity development for young adult Ukrainians during a time of civil and political…

This study examined how a sample of art therapists (N = 14) describe their experience of therapeutic presence in the art therapy triangular relationship formed among the therapist, the client, and the artwork. Qualitative data were collected in semistructured interviews and analyzed using a grounded theory method. Component themes of therapeutic…

The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of the diversity of characteristics in the drawings of children in Mexico City. The authors conducted a thematic analysis of 174 drawings from children ages 6 to 11 that revealed two main discrete themes: nature and stress. A personalized, supportive relationship with nature emerged as a…

This article describes the healing benefits of art therapy for an individual with dementia of the Alzheimer's type. In this clinical case description, a woman diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease received individual art therapy for 17 weeks. The treatment concerns that arose, altered view of reality, agitation, and retrogenesis provide insight on…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental research study was to evaluate the effectiveness of art therapy for teaching social skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The program we tested was structured to provide a therapeutic setting for children to discuss difficulties they experience in their social interactions, and give them…

This paper describes a community art therapy group for people living with chronic pain. Nine adults were offered 12 weekly group art therapy sessions that included art therapy activities such as guided imagery focusing on body scans followed by art responses and artistic expressions of the pain experience. This pilot group art therapy program is…