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…

Describes a time-limited, psychoeducational group in its 16th consecutive year of providing a safe and supportive milieu that breaks down isolation while helping women understand the impact of abuse on their lives and empowering them to alter their victim identity. Cognitive, affective, and expressive arts approaches are used to address aspects of…

Addresses the task of training future art therapists through a unique branch of transpersonal psychology referred to as "contemplative education." Discusses contemplative practices, such as meditation, and their relationship to creating art. Offers a definition of transpersonal art therapy as well as a literature review. (Contains 80…

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…

Suggests that one of the major reasons that art therapists are not as highly regarded as other mental health professionals is a paucity of quantitative research data, a result of both a lack of orientation and professional training. Includes responses by Harriet Wadeson and Robert Wolf. (JPS)

Describes a research project that explores the experiences of five art therapy researchers. In-depth, open-ended interviews are used to explore the therapists' experiences with and views of research in therapy. (JPS)

Describes the nature of outcomes research. Provides a historical sketch, and discusses its use in medicine and nursing, such as in developing measurement instruments, in measuring quality of life, and in sampling. Looks at outcomes research's role in psychotherapy and provides implications for its use in art therapy. (MKA)

A short-term, insight-oriented intervention for American Indian adolescents--the Dream Catcher Meditation--aims to help clients express unconscious conflicts and facilitate differentiation and healthy mutuality. Twelve sessions, including goals and sample questions, are described, during which the steps in making a dream maker are linked with key…

This paper includes two main narrative strands--one personal and the other the result of the author's research with Joe, a member of an art class for people with HIV/AIDS in a local hospital. Both stories, Joe's and the author's, probe the mystery of disease, expression, and the search for coherence. The author's research and Joe's story weave…

This teacher believes that art has the power to heal, or at least aid in the healing process. After the terrorist attacks on 9/11, her students needed some way to express the injustice they felt. They discussed the attacks, and had some free drawing to release it from their system. They even did some patriotic-themed projects to boost their…

Professional identity is a term used to describe both the collective identity of a profession and an individual's own sense of the professional role. This article draws from the literature exploring professional identity with attention to the issues of developing professional identity in fields such as art therapy where lower wages, fewer jobs,…

Oncology nurses are particularly vulnerable to "burnout" syndrome due to the intensity of their work and the ongoing losses they experience while providing oncology care to their patients. High levels of stress in the workplace left untended lead to high job turnover, poor productivity, and diminished quality of care for patients.…

The purpose of art therapy supervision in an educational setting has traditionally been seen as an opportunity to help interns adjust to and learn from their placement sites, understand their clients, develop an understanding of themselves in relation to their work, and translate theory into practice (Dye & Borders, 1990; Hawkins & Shoret, 1989;…

This article presents the art therapy treatment of a 6-yearold boy diagnosed with autism without mental retardation. Children create art and draw because it is rooted in the need to relate to their world (Horovitz, Lewis, & Luca, 1967). However, children with autism have difficulty relating (Green & Luce, 1996). This case study explores the value…

Although art therapists readily recognize the value of artmaking for their clients and for themselves, do they utilize its potentialities for professional self-processing? In the hope of encouraging art therapists to use this valuable resource, this paper presents examples of art expressions for professional processing by many art therapists…