Art programs for people with disabilities may encourage creativity, promote engagement, emphasize inclusion, and extend access and opportunities for community involvement. This mixed methods study utilized quantitative and qualitative data, repeated measures, action research, and stakeholder collaboration to develop and implement an evaluation…

This study examined survey data from professional credentialed members of the American Art Therapy Association and 8 follow up interviews to determine how art therapists adopt or reject technology and/or new digital media for therapeutic use with their clients. Using Rogers's (2003) "diffusion of innovation" model, the author identified a…

The Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS) is a measurement system for applying numbers to global variables in two-dimensional art (drawing and painting). While it was originally developed for use with the single-picture assessment ("Draw a person picking an apple from a tree" [PPAT]), researchers can also apply many of the 14 scales of the…

14 Secrets for a Happy Artist's Life is an online art exchange group founded by Gerity in 2006 as an egalitarian virtual community art studio. The online and mail art format provides a safe arena to create, view, and generously exchange artwork of all kinds. Ideas discovered within the virtual art studio have been applied to art therapy settings.…

For mental health professionals, art assessment is a useful tool for patient evaluation and diagnosis. Consideration of various color-related elements is important in art assessment. This correlational study introduces the concept of variety of color as a new color-related element of an artwork. This term represents a comprehensive use of color,…

This paper illustrates the use of the MARI[R] Card Test, a transpersonal assessment tool which includes archetypal designs and color choices, as well as the drawing of a white and black mandala, or circle picture, for assessing the compatibility of two people in a committed relationship. In an informal pilot research study, 22 couples were given…

This study explored the use of the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS) with a population of persons with a DSM-IV diagnosis of Substance Use Disorder who were court ordered for treatment. Two groups of adults (N = 40) were closely matched on age, gender, race, socioeconomic status and education level, and were administered the Person Picking…

Investigates the use of the Naglieri Draw-a-Person Test (DAP) for its appropriateness for use by art therapists. A total of 306 drawings were collected from 34 children, ages 5 to 10, over a 1-year period in three phases. Concludes that the Naglieri DAP would be a useful tool for art therapists in the assessment of cognitive development. (Contains…

Describes the experience of creating and working with the Face Stimulus Assessment (FSA). Six samples of the FSA completed by clients with multiple disabilities are presented. As the FSA is a work in progress and has yet to be established as a valid and reliable assessment, implications for further research are also discussed. (Contains 32…

Presents results of a study of the graphic indicators in drawings by patients with substance abuse disorders. The Bird's Nest Drawing, an assessment task previously devised to elicit pictorial representations of attachment security, was used to examine attachment patterns of volunteers. Results showed that those with substance abuse diagnoses were…

Reports on a pilot study completed in preparation for a multisite study of the effectiveness of children's grief support groups. Uses art therapy to assess children's perspectives of their experience in a grief support group. Results of study support the use of art as an effective qualitative tool that can be utilized in future evaluations of…

This paper addresses theory and practice of research in art therapy. It argues for inclusiveness in considering methods of inquiry that can contribute to a fuller understanding and communicating of art therapy's effectiveness. It requires collaboration of artist and scientist within the researcher to accomplish meaningful art therapy research, and…

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…

Study uses art to evaluate an all day seminar for graduate students on research methods, to explore students' feelings about research concepts, and to foster understanding of these concepts. Results suggest that the seminar was able to reduce most participants' anxiety about research without a loss of creativity and energy. (Author/GCP)

Reports on assessments of four affects (anxiety, depression, anger, and contentment) using three different measures. Results show that staff members (n=44) reported lower levels of dysphoric affect than 40 psychiatric inpatients. Findings show that therapists can predict affects that are suggested by prestructured visual elements used in the…