The Florida State University (FSU)/Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) Art Therapy in Prisons Program is contractually required to conduct an annual art exhibition of the participants' work. Originally to be held inside the institutions, it evolved into a single art exhibition at an annual state-wide conference for prison educators. This…

Internal Family Systems (IFS) and art therapy each provide distinctive processes for working within the psychological realm of individuals. Many of their respective goals and techniques are consistent with the underpinnings research finds essential to inform effective trauma care. This article provides an overview of IFS theory and then, through…

This pilot study examined parental responses to artistic processes and products in the framework of art-based parental training (ABPT), which was offered concurrent to child art therapy. Thirty-four parents and their children completed scales before and after the 10 month program. Results showed several positive correlations between changes in…

During the unprecedented time of COVID-19, one art therapist noticed that her clients created images expressing their loneliness. To foster a sense of community catharsis, the art therapist worked with her clients to create an art display at a public mall to enable the general population to receive secondary therapeutic support for their own…

Reflections on 5 decades of art therapy experience continuously return to a focus on how art heals. This question is addressed along two lines of thought. The first acknowledges the simultaneous existence of transcultural, shared dimensions of art, together with infinite differences in people, communities, and artistic expressions. The second…

Since the beginning of the field, many art therapists have used artwork as a practice to help them manage and understand their work with clients. In contemporary times, this form of creativity is known as response art. Some of the original writings about response art refer to its use to elucidate countertransference. This article provides an…

Questioning whether the hierarchy of evidence is a good fit for the art therapy profession furthers the scholarly climate of art therapy research practices. Contemporary art therapy research practices are reviewed in 8 notable areas: effectiveness, salience, functionality, appropriateness, safeness, cost-effectiveness, program satisfaction, and…

The study evaluated the impact of an international online summer program for art therapy students from Mexico, the United States, and Israel on their cultural and global perspectives. Quantitative (pre- and post-program measures of the Global Perspective Inventory) as well as qualitative tools (focus groups, art and written responses) were used.…

Community art therapy studios promote individual and communal transformation outside of traditional health settings. In this qualitative study, 3 art therapists observed 6 sessions of a community art therapy studio by making art and writing observations. Synthesis of their findings indicated the importance of tending to healthy relationships.…

This study explores the subjective experience of art therapists who work with bereaved clients. Eight art therapists were given an art-based task and completed a semistructured interview. Qualitative analysis revealed 3 themes conceived in axes: (a) facilitating emotional expressiveness and control, (b) fluctuating between presence and absence of…

The authors recount a collaborative art-making journey centered on self-reflexivity to sustain a partnership across racial, social, and cultural differences. The image of a chair, re-imagined as a Humble Chair, was a symbol to anchor critical inquiry. The authors' explorations provide a pragmatic and artful approach to fostering cultural humility.

Through everyday encounters, art therapists are continuously developing their own professional discourse. This professionally bound talk, forever evolving, both separates and binds art therapists with other mental health professionals. The purpose of this inquiry was to examine through an online survey how art therapists speak about their scope of…

This study explored the therapeutic value of sharing artwork in a public exhibition called Bearing Witness by individuals who experienced trauma through stillbirth, infertility, or miscarriage. This qualitative study investigated the experiences of seven women who exhibited artwork about their losses or attended as witnesses. Results revealed that…

This study explored tattoos in relation to art therapy by examining motivations for obtaining them and their connection to healing. Participants consisted of 239 college students (122 with tattoos, 117 without) who completed a mixed-methods survey. Results indicated differences for age, gender, and level of education between those who have tattoos…

This brief report describes the growth and expansion of the Art"Access" program at Queens Museum in New York, NY, that is shaped and operated by art therapists and teaching artists. Art"Access" was first piloted in 1983 as Please Touch for individuals who are blind or have low vision. The authors conducted oral history research…