Art making offers the opportunity to reflect upon ineffable experiences, including those surrounding death and dying. This article examines the artwork of two research participants who each reported a near-death experience (NDE). A trans-personal model was used to elicit the narratives and artwork of two individuals: one who experienced a pleasant…

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…

In the art educational therapy (AET) method introduced in this article, school coursework is integrated into art therapy with the aim of facilitating such learning and enhancing the emotional well-being of children with learning difficulties who have experienced stress or trauma. A grounded theory research study based on the cases of 5 middle…

Art therapists increasingly work outside traditional mental health treatment programs and facilitate art-making experiences within community-based settings. Although traditional mental health facilities provide frameworks for meeting ethical principles such as privacy, roles, consent to treatment, and setting therapeutic goals, community-based art…

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) has been at the forefront of integrating art therapy in schools since 1979, helping children with emotional/behavioral disabilities become more receptive to academic involvement while maximizing their social and emotional potential. This article describes the history, development, current configuration,…

This paper describes the history and development of the Jersey City Public Schools creative arts therapy program. Creative arts therapists contributed examples of their work throughout the district that provide a window into their respective school settings. Examples include technology-based art therapy, an extended school year program,…

This article describes the theory and practice of Art Therapy Connection (ATC), an inner city, yearlong school art therapy program in Chicago, IL, for students identified as being at risk of failing grades 3-12. The ATC program helps to address the mental health needs of students living in impoverished communities and the constant threats they…

This study examined the effectiveness of a group art therapy intervention within a school setting to increase coping skills and decrease disruptive behaviors in a group of 6 eighth-grade students at risk for making a poor transition to high school. The mixed-method AB single-case experiment measured each individual's changes in behavior and coping…

This brief report describes a cooperative classroom art therapy intervention in a public elementary school that provided conflict resolution education, social learning, and group cohesion among sixth-grade students. The organizing framework of a "circle justice" group explored the roles of fictional characters in conflict, including group…

This viewpoint proposes a model of art therapy integrated into an alternative art education program. Because of the pressure to meet educational standards, school systems may be less likely to support clinical programs that take students out of their classes. A blended model of art therapy and art education that utilizes effective strategies from…

In response to a review by Reynolds, Nabors, and Quinlan (2000) of the art therapy literature prior to 1999, this review article identifies studies from 1999-2007 that measured outcomes of art therapy effectiveness with all ages of clinical and nonclinical populations. Although numerous studies blend art therapy with other modalities, this review…

Students who enter a creative arts therapy program without prior exposure to a patient population experience a complex developmental journey towards creating their own identities as art therapists. In this study, 21 graduate students were asked to draw how they saw their patients and how their patients saw them. The directive was repeated 3 times…

This article presents the results of a pilot study investigating the efficacy of art therapy to enhance cognitive performance in a sample of 24 elderly Hispanic/Latino members of a community center who participated in a weekly structured thematic therapeutic arts program. A 12-week, quasi-experimental, pretest/posttest, nonrandomized, controlled…

Traditional therapy, with its emphasis on verbal communication between therapist and client, may not be appropriate for patients with dementia due to impaired cognitive and verbal abilities. This brief report presents a qualitative study on the use of collage in art therapy to aid in the process of reminiscence in individuals with dementia. Data…

The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) surveys its members biennially to obtain a general profile of current members that includes basic demographics and client populations served by member art therapists, as well as licensure and professional activities. The results of the 2009 survey presented in this report suggest that, overall, the work…