Creating an art therapy research strategic plan: A community participatory approach

A sequential mixed methods multi-phasic project focused on designing and developing an art therapy research strategic plan for the sustainability and advancement of the field. The project consisted of three sequential, emergent, and cumulative multi-phasic processes. The three phases included: a scoping review, a survey and focus group, and a working symposium. This article focuses primarily on the third phase–the working symposium. During the third phase of the project, it became apparent that central to all phases the project was the contributions of multiple communities. These communities represented varied perspectives which generated diverse and comprehensive qualitative and quantitative data enriching the final result. When organized, categorized, integrated, and synthesized, the data from all three phases yielded six interactive categories forming the basis for a community-driven art therapy research strategic plan. Each category has a mission, goals, and action items. The categories are: building community, art therapy worldview, art therapy evidence, research methods, clinical theory and practice, and education, advocacy, and policy. An implementation strategy for the plan is proposed including using the categories as a structure for community-driven workgroups that will review, revise, actualize, and evaluate the plan.