An autobiographical, narrative art therapy approach to treat drug addiction was co-developed at the Methadone Clinic of Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. The 10-session art therapy intervention included a group of 7 men. The protocol, as illustrated with a case example, suggests that it could help resolve deep-seated pain,…

This exploratory study examined associations between the therapist-client bond and outcomes in individual and group art therapy in the Israeli school system. Children (n = 77; aged 7-13) and art therapists (n = 50) reported on the therapist-client bond at three time points. At the onset and conclusion of art therapy, children also reported on…

The Artopia: Creative Healing with Veterans program was a collaboration between the University of Texas Arlington's Art + Art History Department, Department of Psychology, and Veterans Assistance Center along with our community partner The Art Station. The objective of this pilot study was to examine how art therapy could benefit veterans' mood…

This randomized controlled study examined effects of mandala (structured and unstructured) and instruction (directed expression and free expression) on state anxiety, mood, and state mindfulness. Participants included 69 undergraduates randomly assigned to one of four conditions following anxious mood induction. The design followed 2 (mandala) X 2…

This study compared the effects of 2 art activities (structured and nonstructured) and a focused breathing exercise on outcome measures of mindfulness, anxiety, and affect. Seventy-seven participants, recruited from university students and the general public, were randomly assigned to either 15 min of coloring a mandala (structured), free drawing…

In this study we examined the effects of drawing on positive and negative affect, when negative mood induction is not used as has been done in prior research. There were 64 participants ranging in age from 18 to 24 who completed 1 of the following activities: drawing, writing, or sitting quietly for 10 min. Positive and negative affects were…

We examined whether using drawing to distract, by either coloring a design or drawing a design, improves mood more than drawing to express feelings. We manipulated levels of cognitive demand in the first 2 conditions by asking participants to color a design (low cognitive demand) or draw a design (high cognitive demand). After a sad mood…

The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of the Mindfulness Art Therapy Short Version for Japanese patients with advanced cancer. Patients learned mindfulness practices and then made art to express their feelings in the first session. After receiving instruction on practicing mindfulness 2 weeks later, they participated in a second…

This study investigated whether art production or viewing and sorting art reproductions would be more effective in reducing negative mood and anxiety for 28 adults with substance use disorders. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups and completed pre- and posttest measures of negative mood and anxiety The hypothesis that art…

This article presents findings from a study of the therapeutic effects of group art therapy in a psychotherapy unit of a Russian hospital for war veterans. The researchers randomly assigned 112 veterans being treated for stress-related disorders to an experimental group (art therapy) and a control group. The emphasis was on the use of humor in the…

Clay work has long been used in art therapy to achieve therapeutic goals. However, little empirical evidence exists to document the efficacy of such work. The present study randomly assigned 102 adult participants to one of four conditions following induction of a negative mood: (a) handling clay with instructions to create a pinch pot, (b)…

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…