A Deeper Dive into the Expressive Therapies Continuum: Structure, Function, and the Creative Dimension

This viewpoint conveys insights about the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) from the perspective of two students who trained under ETC co-creators Vija Lusebrink and Sandra (Kagin) Graves-Alcorn. The structure of the ETC is based on relationships among various kinds of information processing, and the function of the ETC is to provide integrative treatment through the modification of task complexity, task structure, and media properties, collectively known as Media Dimension Variables (MDV). Adjusting MDV potentiates activation of the Creative Dimension, where client-specific interventions serve to balance overused, underused, and blocked information processing patterns. ETC-based assessment determines the starting point for ETC-based treatment; a client's artmaking behavior, art products, and verbalizations are then used to ascertain subsequent steps in art therapy.