Search

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Art Therapy is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This discussion focuses on one aspect of Farber's work: the birth of the tango (this issue). The tango was created as a fusion of African and European immigrant culture in Argentina between the second half of the nineteenth century and the first twenty years of the twentieth century. The tango was one of the tools used by immigrants to socialize the pain of the loss of common roots, the lack of identity, and the sense of loneliness. The author reflects on the overlaps between tango and relational psychoanalysis, and muses on the impact of the loss of hugs and embraces in this worldwide pandemic caused by Covid and the collective trauma that it entails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Art Therapy is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper is a response to two recent papers in The International Journal of Art Therapy: Inscape that set out positions in relation to art therapy theory. David Maclagan (2005) argues for the importance of 'imagination' in art therapy, and David Mann (2006) responds by defending a Freudian view of art therapy which he feels Maclagan has unfairly attacked on the grounds of it suppressing imagination. The view of this paper is that the arguments in both papers perpetuate the split in art therapy between an emphasis either on the art in art therapy or the therapy in art therapy, and in both cases this is because the authors neglect the significance of embodiment. An acceptance of ourselves as physical beings brings with it an awareness of context and of gender and therefore of political relations. The two papers are deconstructed to reveal that the suppression of the perceptual results in a perpetuation of the crystallisation of imagination rather than the releasing of it, which the authors are intending. The feminist philosopher and psychoanalyst Luce Irigaray's writings are used to propose a new way in which we might think about the relationship between art and talk in art therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The drive towards living well with dementia has resulted in a growing recognition of the value of community-based participatory arts activities. This review aimed to explore their overall impact and holistic benefits for people with early to moderate stages of dementia. Using a scoping review methodology and thematic analysis, this review explored relevant literature published between 2008 and 2019. 26 published papers were identified, comprising visual arts, literary arts, comedy, music and dance. The key themes included person-centred, in-the-moment approaches; participation and communication; attention and cognition; social cohesion and relationships; and the role of space, place and objects. There is strong evidence in support of using participatory arts for dementia, regardless of art form. In-the-moment and person-centred approaches were deemed impactful. Further research is needed to explore the importance of setting, material culture and the methodological or theoretical perspectives in participatory arts and dementia research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to evaluate the existing evidence base for the efficacy of art therapy with parent-infant dyads. We undertook an integrative review, following the PRISMA protocol, systematically searching 4 electronic databases, and grey literature, for papers describing art therapy with parents and infants together. 14 papers were identified for inclusion. These were evaluated for quality, data was synthesised for evidence of change, and we undertook a narrative synthesis of intervention model and thematic analysis drawing together mechanisms of change within the art therapy process. Papers described a group approach to art therapy and contained a mixture of methodological approaches. Themes highlighted the beneficial aspects of the art therapy process that might be common to group psychotherapy approaches and those which were unique to art making, such as the qualities of the materials, the making process and the final art works. The themes identified provide a basis for further research into mechanisms of change within parent-infant art therapy. Those papers which presented quantitative evidence demonstrated promising evidence for the value of art therapy but we identify the need for larger participant numbers and control measures, for this evidence to confidently state the impact of art therapy. Plain language summary This paper is based on a review of the current evidence for an art therapy approach to working with parents and their infants together. We searched data bases and other online sources and put out calls for unpublished work to art therapy organisations. We looked for art therapy for parents together with their 0–3s and this could be with the individual pairs or with groups. We reviewed the papers we found and 14 were included in the final stage of this review. We have compared their models for art therapy work and their results and we have also looked for the common themes about why art therapy seems to be helping in order to provide a solid basis for future research in this area. We think there is promising early evidence that art therapy can help parents and infants in a number of areas, such as building the parent-infant relationship and improving parental well-being but this research highlights the need for further, larger scale and controlled studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of cutting up, cutting- out, and sticking down is discussed in relation to children's use of scissors in therapy. I am interested in how the observation of children working can help to trace the dynamics of the child's inner world in a way that is helpful in both understanding their distress and in aiding a growing picture of how the therapy is developing. The use of scissors, which have two blades, may suggest different internalisations of helpful or abusive parents. A discussion of Edward Scissorhands is offered to begin thinking about the destructive, creative, and decorative aspects of cutting out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a response to Tim Wright's article ‘Art Therapy and the Concept of Internal-Cohabitation’ ( Inscape , Volume 9, No.1 2004, pp. 26–37). Wright presented his work using a potentially universally applicable model of the mind(s). I begin to look at the complexity of his argument and open up some of the debates around the genesis of an ‘other’ mind. For example, is it an aspect of the self or not? If there is an ongoing, internal view different to the one identified as a relational self, how is it formed? And can this ‘other’ presence offer a benign hand in creativity? Whilst I do not endeavour to provide answers to these questions I support the notion that part of the art therapy work needs to involve an exploration of the validity of some analytic assumptions about ‘self’ and ‘other’ if there is to be a consistent, non-contradictory approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women in the criminal justice system are a diverse yet marginalised group, living with the most dangerous of intersectional oppressions. Women from the Global Majority face a "double disadvantage" (Agenda, 2017). Prison is evidenced as the least effective place for women, yet prison places have increased and gender-informed services are inadequate. These obstructions to healing from trauma have created a spiralling crisis, leading to preventable deaths and the destruction of families. As a white, female art therapist, I argue that an intersectional framework is critical to understanding and supporting this service-user group. I maintain the established perspective generated by Black feminists and marginalised groups, that focusing on the most ostracised and working from the 'ground up', is an effective way of tackling social injustice. A gap in research for art therapy with this service-user group and evidence of epistemological racism within the existing literature presents an opportunity for development and growth within the profession. I discuss the possibilities of using an intersectional framework as intertwined with this service-user group, and with re-establishing ways of knowing within art therapy to ensure anti-oppressive practices. Through a summary of the existing literature developed through research in my final year of training, I will demonstrate how resistance to art therapy occurs at systemic and individual levels and that this cannot be disentangled from the neoliberal status quo. A call to action is proposed for white art therapists to increase their curiosity about their complicity in white supremacy and find ways to develop alternative epistemologies. The criminal justice system (CJS) provides care for people who are confined in institutions, such as prison or secure hospital, because they pose a significant risk to themselves or others. It also includes people who now live in the community but still need continued support when they leave hospital or prison. Most people in the CJS are men, and facilities have therefore been designed around male needs. The needs of women within the CJS have been persistently ignored by UK government, and women from the Global Majority – Black, Asian, Dual-Heritage, Indigenous and 'Ethnic Minority' communities (Campbell-Stephens MBE, 2020) – face particular disadvantages. Race, class and gender oppressions overlap and cause significant harm to the women and their families. Art therapy has been offered within these services for many years; however, there is not much research to support therapy with women in these settings. As an art psychotherapy trainee on placement at a hostel in the community for women leaving secure hospital, I wanted to find out what literature was available to support this work. I searched online databases and found only 24 published articles and book chapters. It was difficult to relate the findings to my community work as the literature was based mostly in high security settings. Most of the authors were white women in professional roles so other people's perspectives were not represented. This meant that what I found was not a fair description and therefore, not very reliable. However, art psychotherapy was shown to offer positive benefits and respond to existing recommendations for this client group. This paper presents an argument for the need for art therapy services for women in forensic services and proposes a call to action for white art therapists to increase their curiosity about their complicity in white supremacy and find ways to develop alternative intersectional, anti-oppressive practices. The paper also highlights the need for more research from art psychotherapists from different backgrounds that is developed in collaboration with service-users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An account of how one Art Therapy training course links information about inequalities with the theory of intersectionality. In trying to understand intersectionality, the course community questions how clients and therapists respond to and experience health inequalities and discrimination. For both, there may be the pain of being 'othered' and the effects of unconscious privilege. Nevertheless, there are examples to be celebrated of how some people manage to use their identity in moving forward. Bizarrely, how identities link to socio-political conditions is not readily acknowledged within therapy professions. The focus of therapy has tended to stay on the inner world. Also, since the end of the second world war, there has been a gradual decoupling of political approaches concerned with social justice and the redistribution of resources and political approaches concerned with identity recognition. When health inequalities and identity issues became sharply visible during the Covid 19 pandemic, the profession responded with adaptations to its educational and therapeutic work. It is possible to see how clients, students, art therapists and colleagues adapt, consult and collaborate. The paper provides descriptions of students' adapted and collaborative practice. The use of culture, art and identity-aware supervision in art therapy are ways of developing our understanding of health inequalities and intersecting identities. The research implications for Art Therapy are that generic knowledge of research about discrimination and glaring health inequalities is a valuable foundation for research in our discipline. This paper discusses how one Art Therapy training course links information about health and social inequalities with ideas about intersecting identities. The course community explores and questions how clients and therapists experience health inequalities and discrimination. There are discussions about the pain of feeling unwanted and the response of people who are not conscious of their inherited privileges simply because they are born into specific societal structures. Whilst recognising that feelings about identity may be painful and a source of shame, the course also considers how it is that some people manage to acknowledge and use self-reflection about their less privileged identities in moving forward. It is strange how the effects of social and health inequalities are rarely acknowledged within psychological disciplines, including art therapy. That seems to be because the focus of therapy has tended to stay on the inner world. Also, since the end of the second world war, there has been a gradual shift in political approaches concerned with social justice and the redistribution of resources and political approaches concerned with identity recognition. When existing health inequalities and identity issues became sharply visible during the Covid 19 pandemic (the Health Foundation, 2020) the profession responded with adaptations that took its educational and therapeutic work online. There is hope because it is increasingly possible to see how clients, students, art therapists and colleagues consult one another and collaborate over adaptations in therapeutic approaches. The paper provides descriptions of some adapted student practices from placements. The use of culture and art, together with supervision in art therapy, are ways of developing our understanding of health inequalities and our intersecting identities. Nevertheless, the pace of social and cultural change can be slow, sometimes moving forward and sometimes backwards. The research implications for the Arts Therapies are that broad knowledge of research about discrimination and glaring health inequalities is valuable in the push for change. Also, research from other disciplines is often the foundation on which the research contribution of the Arts Therapies in this area and others can be built. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to review controlled studies on the effectiveness of primary-school-based art therapy to assess quality, synthesise findings and make informed suggestions for future research. A systematic review was undertaken using database/hand searches, PICOS inclusion/exclusion criteria and the Downs and Black Checklist for Measuring Study Quality. A descriptive synthesis was used to present findings. Out of 201 found, only four papers met the inclusion criteria. Art therapy was reported as having a significant positive impact on some outcomes (classroom behaviour; Oppositional Defiant Disorder; Separation Anxiety Disorder) and non-significant greater gains towards Locus of Control. One paper reported no significant impact on outcomes but maintained scores for self-concept compared to a significant decrease for no intervention. Quality of studies was assessed to be between the 3rd and 5th quintile of possible scores on the Downs and Black Checklist. The studies provided important evidence of some positive effects and no negative effects. Benefits were reported for children struggling with classroom behaviour, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Separation Anxiety Disorder, Locus of Control and self-concept. The lack of harm reported is also an important finding. However, to evidence clinical effectiveness, there is an urgent need for further robust research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper compares two strikingly different uses of water. The first by an adolescent young man on the autistic spectrum, in an art psychotherapy session; the second, by an ordinary developing toddler, observed at home. It uses insights gleaned from psychoanalytic infant observation to illuminate the seemingly enigmatic behaviours found in clinical practice. In doing so, it delineates the centrality of joint visual attention in the development of symbol formation. Understanding is advanced by making evident that water may be used to either enable or inhibit this process. As such, it argues that the phenomenon of liquidity be given greater consideration. Further, it critically champions for the inclusion of infant observation in art psychotherapy training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Art Therapy is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Art Therapists have long been aware of the intersubjective complexities that are evoked in art therapy in relation to images, art-making and their attendant processes. These have often been understood with reference to the psychodynamic concepts of transference and countertransference. In this paper we ask, what happens to these processes when art therapy moves online and becomes digitally-mediated? How do the dynamics of 'the Virtual' affect the image and art-making, and the therapeutic relationship? Drawing on Schaverien and Jung's ideas about transference and countertransference, we propose a new model or 'map' of Art Therapy which helps to think about these questions, which we call a 'Hexagonal Relationship'. To date, published literature has tended to foreground the logistics and practicalities of moving art therapy online, with consideration of complex interpersonal dynamics occupying less of a central space in emerging narratives about digitally-mediated art therapy. We suggest that applying our model to practice could potentially support art therapists to access deeper, less conscious and perhaps more symbolic levels of material in online work, in service of the client's process. We invite art therapists and clients to consider our model with reference to their own experiences of digitally-mediated art therapy, and to test out our questions and hypotheses in their own contexts. Art Therapists work with the idea that the images made in art therapy are affected by the relationship between the person making the image (often known as 'the client'), the art therapist, and the environment in which the art therapy session takes place. Making and reflecting on images is a way of understanding and working with whatever is going on for the client, both in their 'external' life and also in their 'internal world' (for example, their thoughts, feelings, imaginings and beliefs). A lot of art therapy now happens online, particularly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are all part of the digital world in terms of how we communicate and relate with others. We think it is helpful to consider how art therapy (including the therapeutic relationship, art-making processes and the images made) might be affected by the digital environment and so we have written this paper to explore these ideas. We show readers a diagram of what we call the 'Hexagonal Relationship' to help explain what we mean. We think this will help us to understand more of what happens in art therapy in the digital world, making this kind of therapeutic help more effective and meaningful for clients and their art therapists. We hope that clients and art therapists will test out these ideas for themselves and come into a conversation with us (perhaps through papers like this one, published in art therapy journals) about how well our ideas stand up to actual experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of the American Institute for Conservation is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Research shows that indirect trauma can negatively affect professionals in helping professions, with students and young professionals at greater risk, particularly if they have a personal history of trauma. Research suggests that engaging in the creative arts may help professionals process vicarious trauma and promote resilience. This paper explores the use of creative arts practice for self-care by an art therapy trainee with lived experience of somatic disorder symptoms and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD), working in a secure setting. Using a trauma lens, the paper discusses how the creative arts can ameliorate the effects of indirect trauma when working as a trainee art therapist in a challenging context. The trainee's early life experiences elucidate the challenges of countertransference and trauma. The creative arts process supports the reflexive skills an art therapist uses for effective practice. The creative arts as a self-care practice supported the trainee art therapist to negotiate her dissociative defence style. It was an effective tool for managing the ill-effects of exposure to trauma, including somatic symptoms, and benefited the trainee's development. The creative arts helped the trainee to reconnect with her body and emotions, and subsequently benefited her clinical thinking. Art therapy training programmes could include explicitly teaching about the risks and benefits of working in the profession, as this may promote longevity and improve therapeutic outcomes for service users. Further research on dissociative responses to trauma and creative arts as self-care for therapists would be valuable. Research in the past 30 years has found that people working in helping professions are at risk of experiencing trauma symptoms through their work with service users. This can have a negative effect on their health and wellbeing, as well as their relationships with others. If unaddressed it can also negatively affect their ability to provide effective therapy. Students and people with a history of trauma are at greater risk. This paper explores the personal experience of a trainee art therapist working in a secure hospital setting. It describes how creative arts practice helped the trainee to cope with the challenging content of therapy sessions and promote their own wellbeing. It uses the trainee's experience as a young carer to elucidate the emotional and physical toll of caring and the long-lasting impact it can have. The trainee's experiences suggest that the creative arts can help with high levels of stress and hypervigilance, negative physical symptoms and personal trauma triggers, and promote greater wellbeing. The article calls for research into the value of including teaching around trauma, including physical symptoms, in training programmes for art therapists, and how the creative arts can be used as a self-care tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article invites manuscripts from authors on "Art Therapy with Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities," to be published in the future issues of the "International Journal of Art Therapy: Inscape," and the deadline for submitting the papers is February 19, 2016.

This paper explores how making art alongside clients supported a relational intersectional approach and aided the development of an attuned therapeutic relationship with Matthieu (pseudonym), a Black-British autistic adolescent who experienced domestic violence. The art therapy intervention took place at a Special Educational Needs (SEN) secondary school. Authenticity and capacity for consent were carefully considered not to compromise safety and trust in the therapeutic relationship. Consent was given via Matthieu's primary caregiver: this was in line with the therapy organisation's confidentiality framework. A relational intersectional approach examines the impacts of domestic abuse, structural violence, autism, and race in the therapeutic alliance to illuminate how chronic experiences of systemic harm and domestic violence may weigh on a black autistic young boy. Making art with clients, also termed 'Working alongside', has been shown to support mentalising process, attunement and support relationship building with autistic young people. The therapeutic relationship became accessible, and a shared racial identity encounter strengthened therapeutic rapport. Working alongside supported a relational intersectional approach and was pivotal to Matthieu's engagement in art therapy. Art therapy literature exploring the impact of shared ethnicity in the therapeutic encounter is an area needing further research. Therapist images made during a session with their client are generally termed 'working alongside'. Working alongside can encourage empathy, understanding and relationship-building with autistic young people with complex social-emotional needs and histories of domestic abuse. This practice paper highlights a journey of working alongside in art therapy practice with Matthieu, a Black-British autistic adolescent who had experienced domestic violence. A sensitive social, cultural, and political analysis aims to explore the intersection of race, gender and ability by enhancing discussions around the impact of shared racial identity on the therapeutic relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Art Therapy is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This 'practice innovation' paper provides an overview of the development of 'response art' which is growing as an integral part of routine clinical practice in art therapy. I provide a literature review of the use of art therapist generated images made before, during and following clinical work. There is a particular focus on post-therapy 'reflect piece' imagery which is the subject of the research described in this paper. The purpose of the research is to examine practitioners experience when using art immediately following a session, and how making art in this context, may facilitate the discharge and release of powerful or complex affects and part-processed feelings aroused during their clinical work. Secondly, how developing the themes, gestures and visual motifs systematically between sessions may deepen empathy and attunement, and thirdly, how both forms of visual expression may contribute to the supervisory process. Plain-language summary Response art refers to the visual, creative, art-based responses made by art therapists as part of clinical practice. The generic term is 'clinical art-making' and refers to art made in response to any client-related experience, work-based dynamic material or experiences deriving from the clinical context. The term 'reflect piece imagery' is used to describe the artworks therapists make immediately following an art therapy session and is the focus of this paper. The potency and clinical usefulness of this form of response art has led to an art-based research project which I have been leading over the past two years. The second part of this paper presents examples from the research and draws together the findings from this and previous research to form an evidence-base from which practice methods and further research in this area can be developed. The literature review traces the emergence of the use of clinical art-making in art therapy practice in North America and Britain and refers to the definition, contexts and application of therapist generated artworks. The current research design described is art-based and demonstrates the use of visual research methods (McNiff, 1998, 2013, 2018) which may also be of interest to the reader as well as contributing to the practitioner-researcher paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will explore an art therapist facilitated mural within a refugee camp in Greece. It will present literature regarding a 'psychosocial' frame of art therapy and its considered relevance when working with refugee populations, drawing particular attention to theory on working cross culturally, outside the art therapy room, and the art making process. It will describe the context and present a vignette that reflects on the author's own challenges and discoveries within the mural project that may indicate its significance within the art therapy field. The discussion will explore the possible benefits and value of art mural practice, including thoughts on symbolism within the process and final image. Limitations and further recommendations will be explored and considered. The paper will conclude that a psychosocial approach provides an appropriate framework for art therapists working with refugees and that community murals may hold therapeutic value that could be further explored with primary research and data gathered from participants to expand the discussion of its relevance as a practice within the field. The implications of this paper are that future research into art therapist facilitated community murals is possible within a similar framework and can be used when working with a community of people who have experienced displacement in order to address some of the psychological and social needs. Plain-language summary This paper is an art therapist's reflection on a community mural co-facilitated by a team of art therapists in a refugee camp in Greece. The paper will examine a 'psychosocial' approach within art therapy, whereby the psychological and social needs of a person/s are considered, it will also discuss ideas on working outside the art therapy room and theories relating to the healing elements in a therapeutic art making process. A vignette will describe the personal experiences of an art therapist facilitating a mural within a refugee camp in Greece. The paper will then discuss the possible therapeutic value of the mural, and the benefits of art therapist facilitated community art making that could be drawn from the vignette. The paper will conclude that further research is needed into art therapist facilitated community murals to enhance the discussion and that it would benefit from participant's voices to understand how they experience the practice and to determine any therapeutic value. The paper implies that community murals are a relevant practice to consider within the scope of the art therapy profession and that within a similar framework it can be employed to address the psychological and social needs of a displaced community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case is made for art therapy and its contributions to the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current systematic literature review set out to critically review existing evidence of the impact of art therapy upon adults with a diagnosis of PTSD. Five online databases were searched for articles published in peer-reviewed journals exploring the effectiveness of art therapy in the treatment of PTSD. The search yielded 449 papers. Following application of exclusion criteria 20 were included in the systematic review. Across the reviewed articles, four themes were identified: (1) impact on symptoms, (2) processing traumatic memories, (3) fostering a holistic view of self, and (4) increased well-being and more positive view of self. Overall methodological considerations included issues regarding study design, measures and analysis, researcher biases, sample size, and treatment received. Evidence suggested that some can benefit from the treatment with effects being shown in most symptom clusters of PTSD. Implications such as the need for more robust research in the field are discussed. Clinical recommendations include the suggestion to use art therapy when avoidance or feelings of guilt/shame make engaging in standard talking therapies difficult. Art therapy has a long history in the work with trauma-related difficulties including post-traumatic stress disorder. The current literature review is the largest of its kind summarising 20 research papers on the impact of visual art therapy with adult trauma survivors. Themes identified across papers pertained to the impact on symptoms, processing traumatic memories, fostering holistic view of self, and increased well-being/improved self-image. The review showed that some can benefit from art therapy for PTSD with effects shown in most symptom clusters. However, the quality of reviewed articles was poor and the current paper makes recommendations for more rigorously designed research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bodymind model of Art Therapy delineates the mechanisms through which artmaking, in a therapeutic setting, with the support of an art therapist, may have salutary effects. The model is designed to serve as a guide to design empirical studies of the mechanisms of art therapy. In this paper, we describe how the bodymind model can be implemented to observe clinical work done in art therapy with individuals in problem substance use (PSU) treatment. Using one case example we describe the bodymind model's mechanisms and how they may manifest in PSU treatment. We observed ways in which artmaking may serve multiple purposes at different time points in treatment, such as, getting in touch with bodily pain that was rooted in difficult childhood experiences, thus, paving the way for the transformation of implicit somatic information to explicit emotional content. Later in treatment, artmaking was observed to possibly assist our client to engage in reflective practices, perspective taking and cognitive decision making. There are multiple potential mechanisms through which art therapy may have a salutary role. This case example can help researchers and clinicians engage with the bodymind model in ways that will deepen their clinical understanding and design future studies that will expand the body of research of art therapy practices. Art Therapy is a health profession that uses artmaking in the framework of a supportive relationship with a qualified art therapist to help individuals and groups improve their well-being and mental health. There is research that demonstrates the benefit of participating in art therapy to improve wellbeing, however, how this occurs continues to be unclear. The bodymind model of Art therapy was created to describe some of the ways through which art therapy may benefit participants. The model is designed to help art therapists design studies that will examine which parts of art therapy benefit participants. In this paper, through one case example we describe the different mechanisms of the bodymind model as seen in problem substance use treatment. We describe how artmaking possibly served multiple purposes at different times in treatment. Artmaking possibly enabled the client to get in touch with bodily pain that was rooted in difficult and painful emotional childhood experiences, thus, possibly paving the way for emotions that were stored in the body to be transferred to the art and then to words. The experience of touching and moving the art materials possibly helped change these bodily experiences into emotional and cognitive ones. Later in treatment, artmaking potentially helped the client reflect on her past and examine it from a distance and engage in decision making. The sense of accomplishment that accompanied artmaking possibly enabled this client to feel a sense hope in their ability to become and remain sober. We hope that providing this case example will help researchers and clinicians engage with the bodymind model in ways that will promote their clinical work and expand the body of research of art therapy practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence of mental illness among people diagnosed with severe learning disabilities is well documented, however limitations in verbal, cognitive, emotional and social skills are often used as reasons to withhold referrals for psychotherapeutic interventions within this client group. This paper describes the one-year art-therapy informed psychotherapeutic work carried out with Ioanna, a 61-year-old lady with a dual-diagnosis that took place in a Residential Unit providing psychosocial support for people with severe psychiatric disorders and/or learning disabilities in Athens Greece during 2018. Within the case-vignette the use of Plasticine as a therapeutic medium is presented. Concepts from psychodynamic and object-relations theory are also used as a framework for understanding the course of this therapeutic intervention. The contribution of sensory materials appeared valuable in this psychotherapeutic intervention with an apparently 'untreatable' institutionalised service user, helping to build a trusting psychotherapeutic relationship, and enable Ioanna to regulate some of her challenging behaviours. The use of Plasticine and play, and the development of a 'together and apart' game within a psychotherapeutic intervention, appeared to modify Ioanna's challenging behaviour, and improve her ability to relate and communicate with the therapist and her carers. Research into the use of Plasticine as part of an art therapy programme for people with severe learning difficulties, would provide a useful addition to the knowledge in this area. A review of the current psychiatric services in Greece and of what constitutes 'clinical progress' also seems necessary. This paper describes the one-year art-therapy informed psychotherapeutic work I undertook with Ioanna, a 61-year-old lady with a diagnosis of severe learning disabilities and mental illness. This took place in a Residential Unit providing psychosocial support for people with severe psychiatric disorders and/or learning disabilities in Athens Greece during 2018. At this time, I was also undergoing my art therapy training. The practice description in this paper describes the contribution of Plasticine as a sensory, therapeutic medium. Theories related to the relationship that a baby or child develops with its primary care giver are used as a framework for understanding the course of this therapeutic intervention. The relationship between learning disabilities and mental illness is well documented in clinical literature, however people with dual diagnosis or severe learning disabilities are often overlooked where referrals for psychotherapy are concerned, as it is believed that they cannot take part due to a perceived lack of communication skills. This paper describes how the use of Plasticine and playing a 'together and apart' game appeared to contribute to Ioanna's development of a trusting therapeutic relationship, the modification of challenging behaviour, and improved communication through the medium of Plasticine and play. Research into the use of Plasticine and the 'together and apart game' with this client group is recommended. It is also important to rethink and reflect on the provision of psychotherapeutic services within the current psychiatric services in Greece for this client group, and consider what constitutes clinical 'progress' from the client's perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The Way Up and the Way Down Are One and the Same" by Frederick Burniston with Samir Mahmoud, compares and contrasts the work of the 12th-century Islamic philosopher Ibn Arabi and the 20th-century psychologist, Jung. Both are thinkers who span the material and spiritual realms, but Jung differentiates himself from Ibn Arabi by including matter, and thus the embodied feminine, in his understanding of soul. In "Synchronicity and "Being Endowed with Meaning" Hansueli F. Etter takes up the issue raised in the previous paper, about Jung's understanding of the "creative spirit incorporated in matter.". [Extracted from the article]

This paper explores post-abortion experience and identifies key themes that may arise while working with individuals who have had an abortion. This paper aims to revisit and deconstruct the issue of abortion and place it in the sociopolitical context from which it arises. The research included draws from multiple disciplines including art history, the politics of inclusivity and the interconnections between identity, oppression and privilege, as a way to understand the intricacy of one's experience of abortion and approaches the topic through an intersectional feminist lens. The paper explores art therapy as a powerful approach to depict loss, and questions how we can create a safe therapeutic space for our clients in order to allow them to further explore their post-abortion experience. Two key themes were explored; 'self and body as a compass' and 'working with the "invisible loss" and recreating the narrative; Art therapy approach'. The first theme touches on the sociopolitical ideas imprinted on the body and how a therapeutic space may allow an individual to further explore the memories associated with their experience. The second theme further looks into how art therapy can be a powerful approach for the exploration of themes that emerge post-abortion, as well as the importance of being able to encourage agency in our client to choose their own way of using the therapeutic space. Finally, I have included my own use of creating and reviewing artwork as a form of self-reflexivity. This paper explores the post-abortion experience and identifies two key themes that may emerge while working with individuals who have had an abortion. The first theme is; 'self and body as a compass' and the second; 'working with the "invisible loss" and recreating the narrative; Art therapy approach'. I have drawn from my own art-making process in response to the topic and a contemporary artist's personal body of work, called Tony Gum, in order to navigate the themes explored in this paper. This paper will hopefully help to start conversations around how we can create a safe therapeutic space for our clients and how we can support them in the way they want to use the therapeutic space to further explore their experience. Research recommendations are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a long tradition of offering art therapy to inpatients. NICE guidelines (2009 p.25) recommend considering offering 'arts therapies to all people with psychosis or schizophrenia, particularly for the alleviation of negative symptoms'. However art therapy can still be unavailable. This paper describes how art therapy is offered to people on acute inpatient wards, and focuses on their experience of art therapy. A service evaluation was registered and approved by the NHS Trust allowing non – identifiable information collected within the art therapy service. People with acute mental health problems attending art therapy were invited to complete a short survey. The thoughts and experiences of respondents (n = 24) are reported here. The art therapy approach offered is informed by psychodynamic thinking and is adapted to meet the needs of people in acute inpatient settings who may be experiencing psychotic symptoms or have experienced trauma. Results found art therapy to be a positive experience. Themes included the ability for self –expression, to think more clearly, a reduction in stress levels, anxiety, anger, and voice hearing. People receiving art therapy while in hospital reported it to be a helpful part of their treatment and contributed to their overall recovery and discharge. Further views from people receiving art therapy and from staff would be helpful using a different method for example interviewing and focus groups. This paper describes art therapy as it was offered to people while they are staying on acute inpatient wards. We asked people who had attended art therapy for their feedback and we discuss how art therapy was offered in acute wards. The approach and theoretical framework of art therapy in acute inpatient care is explained as well as describing the experiences and views of 24 people who attended art therapy while in hospital and who agreed to take part in the service evaluation. People who used the service commented that they liked the calm atmosphere of the art therapy room and found it allowed time for them to express difficult feelings. People described feeling listened to and one person said it made them feel more human. Feedback indicated attending art therapy could lead to a reduction in symptoms such as anxiety, suicidal thoughts, voice hearing and stress. People using the service said art therapy was a welcome alternative or addition to medication in the treatment of their difficulties. To summarise, the paper describes how attending art therapy offers inpatients an opportunity to express difficult thoughts and feelings in a calm and relaxing setting and people reported that this helped reduce symptoms such as anxiety, suicidal thoughts and stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sick leave due to long-term stress is increasing in Finland and other Western countries. Occupational therapists might contribute to the prevention of and/or recovery from stress-related exhaustion. To describe what is known about occupational therapy for stress-related exhaustion. A five-step scoping review included papers published in six databases from 2000 to 2022. Extracted data was summarized to show the occupational therapy contribution within the literature. There were 29 papers meeting the inclusion criteria, of which a limited number described preventive interventions. Most articles described recovery-oriented occupational therapy with group interventions. The occupational therapists contributed with prevention measures, mostly targeting recovery in multi-professional interventions in terms of stress reduction or return-to-work. Occupational therapy involving stress management both prevents stress and supports recovery from stress-related exhaustion. Occupational therapists internationally use craft, nature activities or gardening as stress management measures. Occupational therapy appears to be a potential treatment option for stress-related exhaustion internationally in conditions that could also work in Finland, for example in occupational healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An exploration of the role that creativity can play in anxiety reduction was conducted using a quantitative study design. Participants completed the State Anxiety Inventory (SAI) before and after completing a coloring activity and results were compared. The experimental group colored a mandala design and the control group colored a blank piece of paper. This study hypothesized that partaking in the mandala coloring activity would produce a greater reduction in anxiety than coloring a blank piece of paper. Results revealed that coloring a blank piece of paper and coloring a mandala were equally effective techniques for reducing anxiety in master’s-level counseling students. Implications for the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic transformed the practices of many Art Therapists, and online work became commonplace. The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicted elevated rates of stress and anxiety among other mental health issues to develop as a result of the pandemic. It is vital to intervene early to prevent potential long-term psychological effects. The article describes an online art therapy group for adult mental health service users in the community in a suburban area of a large city in England. The practice description includes six adult mental health service users who have participated in the online art therapy group and provided feedback. The online art therapy group emerged from our universal experience of the pandemic and the need for social connection through art-making to mitigate the psychological effects. The approach to the work is underpinned by an understanding of Polyvagal and Trauma Theories, mentalisation in groups and mechanisms of group art therapy. The service users feedback that they found the online art therapy group helpful for managing a variety of mental health difficulties. The paper describes the art therapy approach along with some pros and cons of providing the service online. The pandemic highlighted the importance of developing our knowledge of online art therapy practice and research. We need further collaborative work with service users as their input is paramount in the process of practice development. The Covid-19 pandemic changed how Art Therapists provide their services, many offering online therapy. The pandemic affects people's mental health negatively. The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts a higher level of stress and anxiety, among other mental health issues, to develop as a result of the pandemic. It is essential to provide services early that help prevent a long-term negative effect on people's mental health. In this article, I describe an online art therapy group for adult mental health service users in the community in a suburban area of a large city in England. The practice description includes six adult mental health service users who have participated in the online art therapy group and provided feedback. The online art therapy group emerged from our common experience of the pandemic and the need for social connection through art-making to lessen the negative effects. I draw on research to understand the impact of Covid-19 and how Polyvagal and Trauma Theories and mentalisation in art therapy group work can inform the approach to therapeutic work. The service users feedback that they found the online art therapy group helpful for managing a variety of mental health difficulties. The paper describes the art therapy approach along with some pros and cons of providing the service online. The pandemic showed how important it is to develop our knowledge of online art therapy practice and research. We need further collaborative research with service users as their input is paramount in the process of practice development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Art therapy in perinatal parent-infant work is a developing area of practice in the UK. One in five mothers experience a mental illness during the perinatal period or during the early years following birth. It is likely that more than half of perinatal illness remains untreated. Parental stress and relational adversity are known to influence infant neurodevelopment. Context: This paper describes the introduction of art therapy in an NHS perinatal parent-infant mental health outpatient facility. The department concerned authorised an art therapy service evaluation during 2017. Views and experiences of nine mothers with mental health issues, who attended the service with their babies, were collected and are included here. Approach: The approach to perinatal parent-infant art therapy described is systemic in that it is underpinned by the concept of ecosystem and psychodynamic because it is informed by transgenerational relational effects that a parent's mind has on an infant's developing personality. Outcomes: The mothers who attended this perinatal parent-infant art therapy service felt their views and worries were considered and they perceived art therapy as helpful. Positive changes perceived by mothers include better self-understanding, comprehension of problems, positive mood changes, and improved interrelations with their babies. Conclusions: The mothers who experienced this innovative approach perceived the sessions as helpful in relation to their perinatal parent-infant mental health. Art therapy was well supported within the interdisciplinary perinatal parent-infant service. Implications for research: Further research is now needed to test clinical effectiveness and the potential for intergenerational repair. Plain-language summary This paper describes the introduction of art therapy in an NHS perinatal parent-infant mental health outpatient service. This facility is one of only a few in the UK which provides both a perinatal and a parent-infant service for parents with mental health and bonding issues. The perinatal period lasts from around twenty-weeks before to twenty-weeks after birth. One in five mothers suffer a mental illness during this time or during the early years of their infant's development. It is likely that more than half of perinatal illnesses remains untreated. Here we outline the underlying theoretical framework of this approach to perinatal parent-infant art therapy before describing the experiences and views of nine mothers who attended the service with their babies and agreed to take part in a service review authorised by the department. We asked one mother to talk about how difficult memories sometimes got in the way of the relationship she had with her new baby. She told us how art therapy and art making helped her express her thoughts and feelings outwardly. This gave her more 'head space' to think about what her baby needed to develop healthily. All mothers who attended this service felt their views and worries were considered and they perceived art therapy as helpful. Positive changes perceived by mothers include better self-understanding, comprehension of problems, positive mood changes and improved interrelations with their babies. In conclusion, the paper describes the ways in which art therapy within perinatal parent-infant work, using the approach described in this paper, may have provided a small window of opportunity for influencing change and intergenerational repair for the nine parent-infants who participated in the review. Future research is however needed to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of change and to test clinical effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trauma can impact an individual's ability to process memories, develop a healthy identity, express emotions, maintain focus, navigate relationships, and achieve goals. Despite the potential negative impacts of trauma, specific psychotherapeutic interventions and trauma-informed care provide opportunities for recovery and healing. Creative processes can promote trauma recovery. The literature suggests that creativity can support people in non-verbally processing memories, containing internal chaos, and restoring hope. Case examples highlight the approaches of an art therapist, social worker, and psychiatrist who introduced arts-based interventions to traumatized clients. The art therapist explores use of an ancient Japanese approach to repairing pottery with a 23-year-old who experienced sexual abuse and neglect. The social worker discusses how Janusian thinking and "creative destruction" inspired collage-making with a 15-year-old who witnessed domestic violence and experienced depressive symptoms. The psychiatrist considers how traumatic memory processing theory informed her structured drawing approach to traumatic grief work with an aggressive 10-year-old. Use of arts-based interventions assisted in overcoming client resistance to "talk therapy" approaches, offering a non-verbal, expressive alternative and supporting client progress toward treatment goals. Reflection on three case vignette led to several practice implications: (1) Professionals should use creative approaches carefully and responsibly, operating within their scope of practice, (2) Professionals should consider how arts-based interventions can strengthen trauma treatment, & (3) Increased provider collaboration and cross-disciplinary dialogue can enhance trauma informed care. More research on the effectiveness of creative approaches in trauma treatment is needed. Trauma effects people in many ways. Some people have trouble talking about what happened to them. Others have trouble understanding who they are and where they fit in the world. Trauma makes it hard for people to focus, express themselves, and connect with others. Creativity can help people work through their trauma. Art helps people express themselves when they don't have the words to explain what they have been through. Art helps people feel calmer, stronger, and more hopeful. This article includes three examples of how art helped people work through their trauma. An art therapist talks about how she used broken pottery to help a 23-year-old girl reflect on who she was and where she wanted to go. A social worker talks about how she used paint and ripped pieces of paper to help a 15-year-old girl share her feelings of sadness and hope. A psychiatrist talks about how she helped a 10-year-old boy draw about his mother's death so that he could get his anger under control. The art therapist, the social worker, and the psychiatrist found that helping people use art to deal with trauma was helpful. It gave people a way to express themselves when they didn't feel like talking. It helped people move forward. The information in this article is helpful for other professionals who want to use art in their work with people who have gone through trauma. Art is a powerful tool, and professionals should think carefully about how they use it with people. They should also think about ways that they can work together as they help clients make art and deal with trauma. When professionals work together, they can support each other and learn from one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) describes a group of language-led dementias. Speech and language therapy is the main available intervention for people with PPA. Despite best practice recommendations for speech and language therapy to include access to group therapies (Volkmer et al, 2023a), research evidence to date has predominantly focused on delivery in individual sessions. The aim of this study was to gather the collective intelligence of expert speech and language therapists/pathologists delivering group therapy for people with PPA to synthesize guidance for clinicians. This paper describes a qualitative study using narrative synthesis methods. Data were collected using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication – TIDiER. Eight respondents described a total of 17 different groups. Respondents worked across healthcare, research clinics and third sector organizations in Australia, Canada, Spain, the USA and the UK. For the purposes of analysis, groups were divided into two main types: (1) groups delivering specific therapy interventions; and (2) groups providing broader opportunities for conversational practice and support. This initial synthesis of the current state of the art in PPA therapy groups highlights several important considerations around candidacy, content and ecological validity of delivering group intervention for people with PPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The image of Nataraja is a storehouse of collective unconscious thoughts of the Indian psyche. Academicians and research scholars from around the world have extracted essentially and practically applicable derivations from several of those collective thoughts symbolically embedded in those images. This paper is a neuropsychiatric-therapy-oriented extraction of the symbolic representation of the relation of the Lord, His dance, and the dwarf devil, Apasmara, in the images of Nataraja. Ayurvedic physicians use this term Apasmara only as a diagnostic term for epilepsy, but semantic understanding of the term Apasmara, which in Sanskrit means forgetfulness or momentary loss of memory or consciousness, informs us that it can be used as a symptom/symptom-complex in various neuropsychiatric conditions. Such semantic understanding in conjunction with theological and clinical studies may help us extract Nataraja's dance/Tandava (a mixed form of Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, and Odissi) as a therapeutic tool for promotion of prevention of various neuropsychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The globalization of art therapy requires a high level of multicultural competence among art therapists for ethical practice, which includes understanding the traditional materials of the client's culture. However, the common materials used in art therapy remain mostly Western, which neglects the therapeutic value of art materials from outside the Eurocentric world. This article explores the relations between culture and art materials, using the traditional Eastern materials from the Korean cultural context called Jipilmuk — Ji (paper) pil (brush) muk (Meok [inkstick]). A focus on the philosophical esthetics of East Asia reveals the close connection between materials and culture as well as their therapeutic implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a structured group approach for women vulnerable to psychological distress following treatment for breast and/or gynaecological cancer. Set in Hong Kong, the aim was to develop and pilot a brief art therapy intervention sensitive to local concerns and the specific needs of service-users. A mixed methods study was developed and piloted in two phases over six-years in collaboration with female service-users recovering from breast and/or gynaecological cancer treatment. Key therapeutic goals and core themes were identified in phase 1 leading to the piloting of a six-session structured intervention with six groups in phase 2. This was evaluated using qualitative and quantitative methods: through service-user feedback and reflections; informal feedback captured through the art therapy process; and pre and post assessment of emotional distress (Distress Thermometer) and mental wellness (C-SWEMWBS). A consistent six-session structure was developed addressing four therapeutic goals: stress release and relaxation; amelioration of psychological and emotional distress; exploration of self-image; promotion of self-acceptance and awareness. Six core themes relating to loss and readjustment were established through the art therapy process. Participants experienced statistically significant reductions in psychological distress and increased mental well-being. A new brief, structured, group art therapy approach was developed for women recovering from breast and/or gynaecological cancer treatment. The study contributes to the evidence base for the efficacy of art therapy in psycho-oncology and highlights the importance of service-user involvement in the design of a tailored, culturally sensitive, intervention responsive to local concerns. This paper describes a brief art therapy group approach for women in recovery from treatment for breast and/or gynaecological cancer who are finding it difficult to adjust to changes in their bodies and the way they see themselves in the world. The aim of the project was to explore the use of a participatory approach to develop and test a brief art therapy intervention designed to meet the specific needs of such women. The project took place in Hong Kong, in a community cancer service offering support with the emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis and treatment. The theme-based group model was developed in two phases over six years in collaboration with female participants, all of whom were over the age of eighteen and had received treatment for breast and/or gynaecological cancer in the previous two years. Four therapeutic goals were identified: relaxation, reduction of emotional distress; exploration of feelings about oneself in the world, and awareness and acceptance of various aspects of oneself and one's situation. Common issues relating to feelings of loss and difficulties adjusting to bodily changes led to the further identification of six core themes. These were creatively explored through the art therapy process leading to the development of a consistent six-session structure. The themed group approach was evaluated through service-user feedback and reflections, informal feedback during the art therapy process, and established measurement tools for assessing emotional distress and mental wellness. Results suggest an overall reduction in emotional distress with improvements in mental wellbeing. This contributes to the evidence base for the efficacy of art therapy in cancer care. Positive outcomes also reflect the participants' involvement in the design of a culturally sensitive intervention responsive to local needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Therapist art making in individual sessions with adult service users has received little attention in the art therapy literature. Similarly, art therapy's efficacy with anxiety problems has not been established. NHS Criminal Justice Community Mental Health Team, long term weekly individual art therapy. Service User reported marked reduction in anxiety, CJCMHT observed significant reduction in anxiety and increased social functioning leading to discharge from forensic services. Therapist art making helped reduce anxiety by increasing trust. The ambiguity of the artwork challenged black and white ways of relating to self and others. Therapist artmaking functioned as a non-verbal form of psychoeducation. Three styles of therapist art making can be described, all of which are characterised by improvisation: Alongside the Service User; Jointly with the Service User; Under the gaze of the Service User. Art making can be helpful in 1:1 therapy with adult service users because it magnifies the art therapist's ostensive (i.e. non-verbal) communications and increases trust. Making art alongside service users provides a unique way to engage with complex psychological and interpersonal material. It is the ambiguity of therapist artwork that seems particularly helpful, and it should be considered as a promising way to address black and white thinking in common mental health problems like anxiety and depression. This paper describes the benefits of therapist art making in individual sessions with an adult user of mental health services. Lived Experience feedback is used to show how therapist art making helped reduce severe anxiety and improve social functioning. The paper describes the clinical reasoning for three art-based interventions; how they built and maintained trust, meaning and hope for both therapist and Lived Experience Author. The paper suggests that the ambiguity of therapist artwork can be thought about in terms of the presenting problem, particularly to reframe black and white ways of relating to self and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper wishes to help heal the lack of trans people's representation in art therapy research that coincides with the lack of art therapy literature theorising body tracing. Supervisor, art psychotherapist and service user have come together to offer a research process that questions power dynamics and uses lived experience to explore an approach of body tracing that differs from body mapping and so contributes a further approach in this field for working with people whose identities question the status quo of power. Specifically, we wish to demonstrate the relevance of body tracing as a tool for facilitating the gender transitioning process. We explore how it offers a lived experience in the here and now that promotes agency and an internal locus of control over what is to be modified and what is to be maintained. It creates an embodied space for a new identity to be shaped. We examine how the contextualisation of creative process modalities (sensory experience, formal decision-making and symbolic meaning) within the resulting body-space aids the integration of states of self and bodily awareness and connectedness. We hope to inspire further research in this field that can support an institutionalised adoption of body tracing within an art therapy setting for gender transitioning service users. Art therapists have only written a little about working with trans people. The same is true of the technique of body tracing. This paper speaks about both of these areas. The service user has taken the role of lived experience author in order to work together with the art therapist and her supervisor, so that all three voices can talk on equal terms about their experiences in these areas and explore a way of using body tracing that they believe can empower people who are gender transitioning. A technique called body mapping already uses body tracing to help people who feel disadvantaged because of their identity (for example, their sexual orientation, the colour of their skin, religion, nationality etc.). Our research offers an additional approach with some distinct features. The lived experience author describes how the act of drawing around the body and then being able to modify this outline promoted a sense of control over his body, leading to a feeling of greater control over his life. This helped him reclaim ownership of his body at a time when other people were deciding the hormones he took and the options available. Our method integrates bottom-up and top-down processes to help a person feel more connected with their body. Working on the body tracing involves many physical sensations that vary for each of the four stages of the process. Memories and thoughts may also come to mind connected with lived experiences and fantasies. The physical feelings in the body can be filtered thanks to the images and colours in the representation of the body on the paper. We hope that other people will join our research so that institutions supporting trans people can offer this service to their users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most Chinese pre-arrival training programs are focused on English language training without preparing students with psychological readiness to overcome potential adversities. This paper explores the effectiveness of an innovative six-week pre-arrival training program that integrated English training with resilience training through the lens of social constructionism. The program involved a mix of English proficiency training using stories with an underlying resilience theme coupled with further reinforcement of resilience skills through interactive narratives, bibliotherapy and art therapy. Thirty Chinese students who were enrolled in a joint venture training program between China and the U.K. were randomly divided into an experimental group and a control group. The result of the pretest and posttest comparison after students participated in the training program showed a significant improvement in the experimental group's overall English skills and resilience, and a decrease in their anxiety, stress, and depression compared to the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are growing numbers of young children with complex life-limiting conditions as well as varying degrees of physical, sensory and cognitive limitations currently surviving birth. As a trainee art therapist, I needed to clarify exactly what art therapy actually was and how to implement it with this clientele, which initially looked the least likely of the creative therapies to be practical. This article offers an account of my journey providing art therapy to a ten year-old girl during my final year trainee placement within a children's hospice and what she contributed in terms of my development and understanding. Neurobiological studies of sufferers of trauma (who can display similar restricted sensory, emotional and cognitive processing capacity) suggest that art can function in a direct manner on the brain, enabling expression and communication. Art therapy becomes feasible with these children if their anger and frustration is seen as embodied very much like trauma as generally understood. Initial sessions concentrated on creating routines and structures without expectation of an art product even though these could be mistaken for sensory or messy play. Finally, my client engaged with art materials and was able to employ controlled gestures resulting in making marks on paper. A noticeable positive change over my client's attitude occurred. By not focussing on expectations around the marks produced in terms of art, a therapeutic relationship developed. Neurobiological studies involving these children as a specific group and art therapy are recommended. This article offers an account of providing art therapy to a ten year-old girl who has the cognitive facility of someone much younger, is registered blind, has limited fine-motor skills, and has a life-limiting degenerative neurological condition. That she could engage in any form of making art (an often assumed prerequisite of art therapy) may seem improbable. As a result, children with similar abilities are more likely to be offered sensory or messy play, as these might appear immediately more directly accessible. Nevertheless, art materials do feature in messy/sensory play, and though the end result may, indeed, present as a mess, drawing on neurological theory I reason this could still result in therapeutic value as a mode of expression/communication. Part of the initial difficulty for me involved issues around what art therapy was. Consequently, I struggled with the idea of whether what I was doing with my client was art therapy. Although, at times, I felt I was offering sensory or messy play, I was finally able to accept that I had done so in the service of art therapy. A key factor was to do with the role of the art therapist as 'container' for the client's emotions. The art therapist's role is therefore upheld as essential to defining whether it was art therapy or not. Much of the time, what took place did not necessarily emulate what I thought of as 'normative' art therapy practice. However, these sessions were necessary to build up trust, and eventually, my client constructively engaged with art materials. The results were not pictorial, but they were controlled rather than random and were accompanied by a marked change of behaviour. I concluded that art therapy specifically was possible in this situation, and affirm that this client group should not be denied the opportunity because of potentially preconceived expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trans people experience high levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation and attempts, as well as poor experiences seeking mental health support. There is limited research into the experience and effectiveness of using Art Therapy with trans clients. This paper describes an Art Therapy group with trans clients. The group took place online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants consented to have their images and experiences used in this practice paper. Building on the work of Beaumont (2012. Art therapy for gender variant individuals: A compassion oriented approach. Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal, 25(2), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/08322473.2012.11415565), and using a neurobiological understanding of Art Therapy, this paper theorises that Art Therapy strategies known to be effective with trauma survivors may also support clients experiencing gender dysphoria. Considering Beaumont's model, a six-week online Art Therapy intervention using weekly focused themes was developed. A strong focus was given to creating group cohesion through co-creating a working alliance. Clients reflected together on artwork created through arts journaling between sessions. Participant engagement was high. The intervention received consistently positive solicited and unsolicited feedback from clients. Limitations of this feedback are noted. Trans clients reported that the use of an online arts journaling group approach facilitated a powerful sense of belonging created in the group and reflected through the artwork. Research is needed to consider Art Therapy's effectiveness in improving wellbeing for trans clients through creating a sense of belonging. Research could also consider whether clients experiencing gender dysphoria could be supported by Art Therapy approaches known to work well with traumatised clients. Trans clients are likely to need support with their mental health due to experiencing high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal feelings. They are also likely to describe poor experiences of seeking out mental health support. This highlights the importance of developing appropriate, supportive Art Therapy interventions with this client group. This paper describes a six-week online Art Therapy group with trans clients. The group took place in the context of a charity programme to support improved mental health and wellbeing in the trans community. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the group took place online. The group used an arts journaling approach. Clients made artwork between sessions, and shared and reflected on what they had created as a group over Zoom. I describe the theoretical approach which led to the creation of the group, noting the lack of research into working with this client base. I also outline the perspectives considered when recreating the intervention online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I describe the group's online sessions. I show how the group worked together to create a strong working agreement and shared values. I explore participants' reflections on their artworks. I consider the emergence of a strong sense of belonging within the group. I also reflect on participants' feedback, giving space for clients' own words about their experience. Client feedback shows that participants value sharing their experiences with people they feel understand them and experiencing a sense of belonging in a supportive community. Further research is needed to explore the effectiveness of Art Therapy in improving mental health and wellbeing with this client group. Clients hoped that sharing their experiences could help enable an Art Therapy approach to be considered with trans clients in other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entering into an image is a familiar yet undefined term. In this art-based, heuristic enquiry into how we enter into images as place, the author considers what meaning the concept of place has in art psychotherapy and how we explore and express our inner worlds through imagined places. Spatial ideas and metaphors are routinely used in art psychotherapy to conceptualise internal landscapes and relational space. The author aims to provide a complementary enquiry into the phenomenon of place on the page, and how this is entered into. The research involved the creation of sixteen images partnered with reflective writing following spatial, locating, and sensory prompts. The author's artmaking involved heuristic 'self-dialogue' on place, adopting a meditative frame of mind, creating two-dimensional artworks on paper and reflective writing. The dataset was analysed through response illustration and 'revisiting' via the prompt questions. Entering into was considered comparable to active imagination, dialoguing and suspension of disbelief. Themes of connection and solitude, expanse and enclosure and sensory experience illuminated the experiential nature of place and the page as a site of experience. Entering into an image is shown to involve imaginatively engaging the senses and reflection on the felt sense. A place must exist to be entered into and it is found that imaginative experience creates that place. As an imaginative process, entering into has significance to art psychotherapy through the page experienced as place into the potential space. Plain-language summary Entering into an image is a familiar yet undefined term. The author enquires what it means to enter into an image as an imagined place on the page. This research uses art-making, self-inquiry, and personal reflection on the topics to answer this question. Art Psychotherapy uses metaphor and imagined places to describe how we explore and express our inner worlds and the relationship between psychotherapist and client. The author explores what this means if the page, and images on it, are a place. Sixteen images were created and reflected on by writing. Images, on paper, were made with the intention to explore the phenomenon of place, without specific plans for composition, so that themes and ideas could freely emerge from the self-inquiry and artmaking to inform the research. Themes from that process were chosen by looking again and further reflective writing and illustrations were made on those themes. Through this process the core themes were narrowed down and selected. Themes of connection and solitude, expanse and enclosure and the sensory experience were identified. This showed that place and space are linked to relationships and growth and that a place is somewhere we experience. When we imagine these experiences, both visually and in imagining our senses, we are entering into an image. This may help art psychotherapists and those in therapy by giving us understanding of how we use imagination and access unconscious ideas, and about how we create space for growth in the therapeutic relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses theories pertaining to what could be said of the state of mind of the creator in the art-making phase of art therapy, by reference to the interchange with the looking/talking phase. I pursue this exploration of the interchange within the concept of the triangular relationship: creatorartwork-viewer, as well as the three 'waves' of art therapy theory and practice. I conclude by making use of mathematical abstraction to describe the recursive sequence of art-making and looking/talking about the art, to pose questions about what might be occurring during these processes and which it is hoped could serve as a framework for further investigations from various theoretical standpoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delivering Art Psychotherapy online has become a necessary part of practice for many in 2020 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Art Psychotherapy practice and theory needs to be considered in light of this new way of working in addition to the impact on clients themselves. This paper considers an experience of delivering online group Art Psychotherapy to adolescents attending an NHS day service programme for Anorexia Nervosa. A case vignette of three group sessions is provided to illustrate the process. The experiences and reflections of three clients are reported. The approach to the art therapy described is psychoanalytical as it focuses on importance of the relationship between the internal and external world and mentalization based as it aims to increase capacity to perceive and understand self and others. It is argued that there are additional considerations for this client group when working online including body image concerns and experience of gaze. Consideration of the unique requirements of this client group are important when devising protocol for ways of delivering art therapy online. Further research could consider, on a larger scale, the perspectives of clients with eating disorders on having art therapy delivered online. This paper describes the set up and delivery of an online Art Psychotherapy group for adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa as part of an NHS day service. The group ran for seven weeks and was attended by three clients. I outline the theoretical framework of my approach to delivering this intervention. Theories of containment, gaze and joint attention are highlighted as being particularly relevant for working with this client group online. I describe the experiences of the clients who attended as well as my process as the art therapist. I note the main themes arising from this group as an intensified experience of gaze, body image concerns and a desire for control over what might be seen or shown. I reflect on my experience of feeling deskilled and having to alter my process to adjust to working online. I conclude that when working with this client group online these are important considerations to bear in mind. Future research is needed to gather perspectives from clients with eating disorders regarding their experience of art therapy being delivered online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers what is shared by voice-hearers in the Hearing Voices Movement (HVM) and by service-users in art therapy. Both highlight what they see as the value of acceptance, peer-support, and clear collaborative communication. The paper considers how research and literature informed by lived-experience in the HVM and, UK art therapy might strengthen practice. Life-stories by voice-hearers, included in the HVM literature, explain what has helped them and what is meant by acceptance within the movement. For those voice-hearers with a psychosis-related diagnosis, joining HVM could mean they find hope, even though the diagnosis means that they may face deep prejudice and some of their unusual experiences are frightening. The paper also looks at what art therapy clients voice as helpful: the support found in group work; art-making; and honest, collaborative styles of communication overlaps with much that is described and explored in the work of HVM. Although much smaller in scope, feedback given by art therapists to a professional regional-group provides additional indications that the profession is responsive to service-user perspectives, collaborative work, and to HVM. Plain-language summary This paper considers the Hearing Voices Movement in relation to adult mental health. Often people who hear voices receive a psychiatric diagnosis for which the primary treatment is medication. These diagnoses are known as 'psychosis-related'. In the psychiatric system, voice-hearers are not usually encouraged to speak about their unusual experiences. In the Hearing Voices Movement, those who hear voices are encouraged to speak about their voices and other unusual experiences and to find ways of coping with them. This paper looks at the literature of the Hearing Voices Movement to explore what 'accepting voices' means and how this may be relevant for art therapy clients. People who hear voices, family members, friends, health professionals, and social workers make up the movement and, they are all asked to work alongside one another in the interests of authentic collaboration aimed at improving the lives of voice-hearers. The paper also looks at what is said in life-stories by voice-hearers about the value of acceptance, peer-support, and clear collaborative communication. Even though some people with a psychosis-related diagnosis are afraid of their experiences and face damaging prejudice, joining the Hearing Voices Movement can mean they find hope. Also, the art-making, group work, and honest, collaborative styles of communication valued by art therapy clients overlaps with much of the work and research of the Hearing Voices Movement. Being respectfully accepted as a voice-hearer seems to help people feel that they can work towards a sense of control, self-direction, and self-acceptance in their lives. Feedback given by art therapists to a professional regional-group offers indications that the art therapy profession is responsive to service-user perspectives, collaborative work, and to the Hearing Voices Movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]