This article describes a phenomenological study of the artistic creations of bird nests by four school-aged children to illuminate their internal experiences of attachment. The author analyzed qualitative data from in-depth interviews pertaining to two-dimensional and three-dimensional artistic representations of a bird's nest and a family of…

This study examined the relationship between mothers and children with Down syndrome as reflected in the mothers' drawings of themselves and their disabled children. A sample of 20 mothers, 10 Bedouin-Arabs and 10 Jews, participated in the study. Of these, 10 mothers of children with Down syndrome served as the study group, and a matched group of…

This article presents a theoretical and methodological framework for interactive dialogue and analysis of dream images in existential art therapy. In this phenomenological-existential approach, the client and art therapist are regarded as equal partners with respect to sharing in the process of creation and discovery of meaning (Frankl, 1955,…

Although some consider the 12-step method of Alcoholics Anonymous to be the treatment of choice for people struggling with substance abuse, differing approaches have been developed within the area of addictions. Motivational interviewing (Miller & Rollnick, 2002), enacted within a stages-of change model (DiClemente & Velasquez, 2002), seeks to…

Recent advances in neuroscience describe the effect of experience on neural architecture. Paralleling these advances in neuroscience, recent explorations in the field of art therapy speculate on the relationship between specific therapeutic interventions and neuroplasticity, which underlies the changes in neural architecture. One such…

The value of art therapy for older people with mental health problems is well documented although there is a paucity of research for people who are home bound. This study, based in England, involved five clients, all older people with mental health problems, receiving art therapy sessions at home. The clients and caregivers were then interviewed…

The aim of this article is to identify and define the diagnostic and therapeutic qualities of clay-work in contemporary conceptualization (attachment theory, object relations, and psychoanalytic theory). Three central features of clay-work are highlighted: (1) procedural expression through touch, movement, and the three-dimensional aspect; (2) the…

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…

Anthroposophy has made the spiritual a living experience by producing numerous practical applications, such as veil painting, initially created by Liane Collot d'Herbois (1988). Its theoretical framework has been substantially simplified by the author and crucial meditative and contemplative steps have been added. European and American…

School art therapists face numerous ethical dilemmas, from referrals to therapy, through privacy, safety and predictability in the art therapy room, to the need to balance cooperation with the educational staff and its expectations of shared information with loyalty to the patient. Breach of confidentiality also has legal implications. The…

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…

In this art therapy adaptation of the squiggle technique, the client draws eight colored squiggles on a paper folded into eight frames and then develops them into images utilizing a full range of color. The client is encouraged to write titles on each frame and use them to compose a story. This technique often stimulates emergence of meaningful…

This report describes an art-based intervention program with at-risk youth that was inspired by the Project Self-Discovery model (Milkman, Wanberg, & Robinson, 1996). Twelve middle-school students from a small city in a mid-Atlantic state participated in the program. The program goals included making art in order to empower the participants…

With a new generation of American combat veterans returning from Iraq, the nation has an obligation to do everything possible to improve care for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although art therapy has been understudied in this context, it shows promise as a means of treating hard-to-treat symptoms of combat-related PTSD, such as avoidance…

Role Development is a theory-based, individualized intervention developed for health care practitioners, including art therapists, to assist individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia to learn roles and their underlying task and interpersonal skills. The role of artist is particularly suited to this intervention. This paper describes the role…