{"title":"Case report on clay sculpting of Platonic solids for anxiety: Exploration of effects and mechanisms of change","authors":"Pascal Kreijen, Annemarie Abbing","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102219","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102219","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Touch is an essential component of the human experience, especially evident in art therapy where activities like clay work serve as powerful tools for sensory expression. While art therapy is often associated with free expression and creativity, structured interventions prove most effective in addressing negative moods. A structured art intervention, used in anthroposophic art therapy, is clay modeling of Platonic solids. The idea is that sculpting these abstract geometric forms helps individuals to regain or strengthen a sense of stability. In this specific case study, the therapeutic effects of Platonic solids were explored concerning anxiety reduction. The patient suffered from anxiety, panic attacks, severe distress and somatization. After three months art therapy, her anxiety and somatization were significantly reduced. It was found that patient’s ability to accept her emotions and responses to distress improved. This case report sheds light on the mechanisms underlying art therapy, particularly the role of tactile engagement in facilitating emotional integration across different levels of consciousness, increasing patient’s self-awareness. This case report contributes to the ongoing exploration of art therapy's transformative potential, emphasizing the significance of tactile experiences and combining a body-oriented approach with a cognitive challenge (Platonic solids) in the therapeutic process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142318666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effectiveness of Trauma-Focused Art Therapy (TFAT) for psychological trauma: A mixed method single case study","authors":"Suzanne Haeyen , Femke Wanten","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102218","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102218","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Art therapy (AT) shows promise in treating clients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially those who don't respond well to traditional treatments (more than 30 %). This case study aimed to explore the effects of Trauma-Focused Art Therapy (TFAT) on PTSD symptoms and establish its viability as a non-verbal therapy for trauma-related issues. A 10-week intervention and a 3-week follow-up phase were explored using a mixed method single case experimental design (SCED) aimed at integrated results. Bringing the two types of data together adds value and enables to understand the findings better. Quantitative data was collected with weekly questionnaires focused on severity of depression, resilience, self-esteem, mental health and self-expression and emotion regulation in art therapy. The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) was completed in week 1 and 10. Qualitative data was collected through interviews, the patient dossier, and artwork. The combined findings indicate a decrease in PTSD symptoms, reduced depression symptoms, enhanced emotional articulation, increased mental resilience, self-esteem, and positive mental health. The qualitative data support these results, and also add improved emotional connection, increased emotional acknowledgment, and enhanced self-compassion. Based on the combined results of this mixed method design we understand that the TFAT protocol led to a clinically significant reduction in PTSD symptoms and improved mental health, demonstrating effectiveness of AT for trauma in this case. This is the first study that tested the TFAT protocol in posttraumatic distress.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197455624001035/pdfft?md5=6aea6cfb98f04cc8e2a017246e7cd304&pid=1-s2.0-S0197455624001035-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142272978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
María del Río Diéguez , Carolina Peral Jiménez , Belén Sanz-Aránguez Ávila , y Carmen Bayón Pérez
{"title":"Art therapy as a therapeutic resource integrated into mental health programmes: Components, effects and integration pathways","authors":"María del Río Diéguez , Carolina Peral Jiménez , Belén Sanz-Aránguez Ávila , y Carmen Bayón Pérez","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102215","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102215","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To understand the effectiveness of art therapy within the framework of multidisciplinary therapeutic programs, it is essential to adopt a holistic perspective that allows for the description of effect relationships. Under this premise, and in the context of the work carried out in two Mental Health Day Hospitals in the Community of Madrid, a study has been conducted with the primary objective of identifying and analysing which conditions and/or therapeutic factors make art therapy an effective therapeutic resource. Semi-structured interviews including questions about key factors, therapeutic contributions and suggested improvements were administered to a total of 10 professionals, 5 from each hospital. The responses were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analysed. From the analysis of the interviews, 5 categories were identified: Common Factors, Specific Factors, Benefits to Patients, Contributions to Therapists and Improvements. The study concludes that art therapy is a practical and helpful treatment, particularly for narrative regulation and elaboration. It requires an interdisciplinary approach to fit into each patient’s treatment plan. Clinical debriefings with multidisciplinary clinicians have been effective and essential.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142322469","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"“Attentive to their drawing”: A pilot study of the implications of a single session mindfulness-based art therapy intervention on early childhood assistants","authors":"Neta Ram-Vlasov","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102203","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102203","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Early childhood assistants (ECA) often cope with job-related stressors and experience burnout. This study examined the implications for ECAs of a single session mindfulness-based art therapy (SSMBAT) intervention that combined mindfulness with drawing and photography in a group setting. In this qualitative study, a convenience sample of 16 ECA volunteers were recruited after they had taken part in the SSMBAT as part of an ECA training program. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore their experiences during the SSMBAT. The questions focused on mindfulness, understanding and practice, and its possible contribution to personal or professional life. The thematic analysis revealed that mindfulness practices in the workshop elicited an impact in the sensory, emotional, cognitive and metacognitive, and behavioral domains. Components of the workshop, such as mindfulness sitting and walking meditations, artmaking and group sharing were seen as contributing to professional and self-development, working with children, teamwork with peers, and communication with the children’s parents. The results underscore the theoretical as well as the practical value of SSMBAT. They contribute to the scant literature on the wellbeing of ECA and efforts to support them.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142230668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Art therapy in mitigating pervasive loss and grief within correctional settings","authors":"Marissa Hart , David E. Gussak , Anna Schubarth","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102204","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102204","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Those incarcerated often experience different types of loss. Because of where they are, such experiences often result in unresolved, unacknowledged, <em>disenfranchised grief</em>. Recognizing such vulnerability by those who are incarcerated is often difficult and, in some ways, dangerous. Not addressing such losses further exacerbates their chances of completing any respective programs established for success. Art therapy has been effective in alleviating such complications, including for those incarcerated inside correctional institutions. This article draws from the authors’ experiences of providing art therapy services in a statewide program for youthful offenders–those who are 14–22 years old but in the adult institutions–to mitigate obstacles for completing their General Education Degree—and will provide an overview of the various losses that incarcerated individuals experience, their potential grief responses, and the value of art therapy in addressing such grief. The case vignettes provided underscore how, as their expressions were made visible and subsequently seen, validated and acknowledged through art therapy, the incarcerated youth were able to begin the process of moving beyond their grief and attend to their goals, allowing them to succeed in their respective programs, which may include but are not limited to; re-entry focused, substance abuse, GED prep classes, college courses and technical trade programs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142150208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cooking therapy in the creative arts therapy theoretical context: Conceptual validation and practical guidelines","authors":"Mor Daniel, Joseph Guttmann","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102202","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102202","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Therapists across disciplines incorporate cooking as a central tool within their clinical practice. However, the concept of “cooking therapy” lacks a standardized operational definition, hindering the advancement of this field within psychotherapy. The main objective of this article is to examine cooking within the context of psychotherapy from the perspective of creative arts therapy (CAT). Through this lens, the authors aim to delineate the therapeutic factors inherent in the CATs and illustrate how these factors manifest in cooking activities within therapeutic settings. Therapists can use the proposed framework to establish consistency in cooking therapy protocols. This standardization will facilitate the development of comparable research exploring the effects and effectiveness of cooking therapy across populations. Moreover, therapists can gain insight into the therapeutic mechanisms, deepening their understanding of cooking’s potential contributions to the therapeutic process and its applications, analogous to various artistic modalities used in CATs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142044310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Standing tall: A continuing education program and participatory study offered to arts therapists working in the israeli education system","authors":"Snir Sharon , Regev Dafna , Roginsky Efrat , Sade-Dor Tamar , Toker Sharon , Kowalsky Shirley , Ron Keren Or , Atlas-Cohen Adina , Sher Adi , Weber Levitzky Sigal , Bercowski-Front Nati , Meir-Rotem Noa , Simonsohn Miri , Adler-Gabrieli Merav , Shwartz Livnat , Shor-Levin Liat , Berman Leah , Lidar Yifat , Weisberger Ifat , Rotem-Ert Tal , Mindel Iris","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102201","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102201","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This article is based on an arts-based participatory action research study conducted as an integral part of the Standing Tall continuing education program. Focusing on arts therapists within the Israeli education system, the research investigated their perceptions of the state of creative arts therapies in the system, their experiences, and their suggestions for enhancing their work environment. Finally, it explored co-researchers’ perceptions of the meaningfulness of their involvement in the program and participatory research initiative. The 20 arts therapists-co-researchers who participated in this program conducted interviews with 142 colleagues to learn about their job experiences and then analyzed these interviews. The lead researchers thematically analyzed the written and artistic materials collected during the program. The research findings showed the participants, both co-researchers, and interviewees, perceived the integration of arts therapy into the educational system as significant and potentially beneficial. The co-researchers aspired to play an active role in enhancing this integration while acknowledging the challenges involved. They saw the program as a meaningful opportunity for arts-based self-exploration. The findings suggest that while decision-makers play a crucial role in shaping the working conditions of arts therapists, the therapists themselves can catalyze change in the educational system and perhaps in other public systems as well.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142044309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring play experience with Japanese science, technology, engineering, and mathematics undergraduates in interactive art making: A qualitative study","authors":"Tetsuko Kato , Toshiki Ito","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102199","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102199","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Higher education students in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are actively engaged with coursework, and their emotional maturity may be underdeveloped. The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate whether interactive art-making can provide a potential space for STEM undergraduates to experience play and freely explore themselves. We introduced the mutual squiggle and story-making method (MSSM), an art-based method wherein a practitioner collaborates with a participant to create art, followed by semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts from seven STEM undergraduates revealed four themes: personal joy and fulfillment, interaction as a pivotal aspect of play, acknowledging appropriate compromises, and a non-play experience. Our findings suggest that the potential space created by MSSM can help STEM students navigate play through picture-making and storytelling experiences. Practitioners who conduct art-making with clients should be aware that they are being observed by participants and exhibit playful attitudes. This study sheds light on lowering the barrier to seeking help among STEM students. Further studies involving different academic disciplines as target groups are required. Policymakers should be aware of the importance of positive emotions aroused in play for STEM undergraduates to seek psychological support.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197455624000844/pdfft?md5=961cc415ff2e69b287d35ea91311cc5e&pid=1-s2.0-S0197455624000844-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141990632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Implementing expressive writing therapy in a virtual setting: A feasibility trial for survivors of intimate partner violence","authors":"Sihyun Park , Yejung Ko","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102197","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102197","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Survivors of intimate partner violence commonly experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and associated negative emotions. Pennebaker’s Expressive Writing Therapy (EWT) was applied in an online virtual setting to survivors of intimate partner violence. The study aimed to assess the program’s feasibility and acceptability, and to examine its effects on participants’ traumatic affects, self-esteem, and cognitive emotion regulation (CER). We employed a one-group pre- and post-test design, measuring outcomes at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and at a four-week follow-up. The implementation of EWT proved feasible; however, we encountered some cultural challenges, possibly influenced by the current sociocultural environment in South Korea. Notably, there was a significant reduction in negative CER, especially in self-blame and catastrophizing.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141954198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Asnat Weinfeld-Yehoudayan , Johanna Czamanski-Cohen , Miri Cohen , Karen L. Weihs
{"title":"A theoretical model of emotional processing in visual artmaking and art therapy","authors":"Asnat Weinfeld-Yehoudayan , Johanna Czamanski-Cohen , Miri Cohen , Karen L. Weihs","doi":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102196","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.aip.2024.102196","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Current theoretical models of emotional processing rely mainly on detecting emotional processing through verbal, conscious, and cognitive processes. However, artmaking can potentially reveal embodied and implicit processes that may otherwise remain hidden in verbal expression. This paper attempts to close the scholarly gap by introducing a novel art-based emotional processing model that integrates emotional processing and art therapy literature, incorporating emotional meaning-making, awareness, acceptance, and memory consolidation. The art-based EP model explains the processes through which art creation may benefit emotional processing. It also elucidates the ways in which art therapy can be used to enhance therapeutic outcomes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47590,"journal":{"name":"Arts in Psychotherapy","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142040485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}