“My heart on this bit of paper”: A grounded theory of the mechanisms of change in art therapy for military veterans

Schnitzer, Gabriel; Holttum, Sue; Huet, Val

doi:10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.049

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 56 publications

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“…The different mechanisms of change in art therapy and their potential benefits are receiving growing attention. Specific mechanisms of art therapy have been studied within different populations (Czamanski-Cohen and Weihs, 2016;Armstrong and Ross, 2020;Bosgraaf et al, 2020;Schnitzer et al, 2022). These studies have contributed to the knowledge base of art therapy and can offer specific leads for future research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dealing with opposites as a mechanism of change in art therapy in personality disorders: A mixed methods study

et al. 2022

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IntroductionPersonality disorders can be characterized by emotion regulation problems, difficulties in self-regulation and by dichotomous, black-and-white thinking. Dealing with opposites as a mechanism of change used by art therapists might be beneficial for people diagnosed with a personality disorder. This study examined the overall question if and in what way dealing with opposites in art therapy is a mechanism of change in achieving personal therapeutic goals.MethodA convergent parallel mixed-methods pilot study was performed among patients with a personality disorder (N = 32). Participants received four sessions of art therapy focused on opposites. They completed questionnaires on emotion regulation, positive and negative affect and sense of emotional balance before and after each session. Additionally, they completed a questionnaire on self-expression before and after the four sessions. Furthermore, 10 interviews (eight patients/two therapists) were conducted.ResultsQuantitative results comparing baseline versus after the four sessions showed a significant change indicating that there might be a positive change regarding self-expression and emotion regulation (t = −2.45, p = 0.02, ES d = 0.30). A significant change was measured in acceptance of emotional responses (Z = −2.66, p = 0.01) and the state of emotion was rated as more balanced (Z = −2.19, p = 0.03). No further significant changes were found. Qualitative results showed that using opposites in art therapy often helped to gain insight, self-exploration and self-awareness and could facilitate confrontation as well as acceptance although sometimes it was (too) confronting.DiscussionIntegration of conflicting emotions, behaviors, and thoughts were promoted by the explicit use of opposites and supporting coherent representation. Practice based recommendations are therefore to make more explicit use of dealing with opposites as a theme in art therapy. Also, we recommend more research on different mechanisms of change to refine the theory of change that provides an underpinning rationale and structure for art therapy. The results of this research should be regarded as exploratory given the small sample size and limited amount of therapy sessions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dealing with opposites as a mechanism of change in art therapy in personality disorders: A mixed methods study

et al. 2022

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On the Effectiveness of Visual Arts Therapy for Traumatic Experiences: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Maddox,

Bodner,

Christian

et al. 2024

Clin Psychology and Psychoth

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Arts therapy is a popular intervention used to work through the effects of traumatic experience. We evaluate previous reviews and report a meta‐analysis of the effectiveness of arts therapy following trauma for reducing symptoms of PTSD, enhancing positive outcomes (e.g., quality of life) and decreasing negative outcomes (e.g., depression). Database searches identified 21 (N = 868) randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Outcomes were categorised as PTSD specific, positive non‐PTSD specific and negative non‐PTSD specific. Several moderators were tested: age, diagnosis type, trauma type, intervention instruction, control type, therapy mode and therapy duration. Overall, random‐effects analysis indicated that arts therapy was favoured relative to control for positive non‐PTSD‐specific outcomes (g = 1.53, p < 0.001), but not for negative non‐PTSD‐specific (p = 0.069) or PTSD‐specific outcomes (g = 0.89, p = 0.052). Regression analyses indicated that arts therapy was effective in reducing PTSD‐specific outcomes in children (Z = 2.81, df = 1, p = 0.005), positive non‐PTSD‐specific outcomes in group‐based arts therapy (Z = −2.40, df = 1, p = 0.016, I2 = 57.33) and for reducing negative non‐PTSD outcomes following acute traumas (e.g., combat‐related trauma or sexual abuse) (Q = 10.70, df = 3, p = 0.013, I2 = 77.09). We highlight the need for additional RCTs and standardised protocols to address heterogeneity. Our review provides an important benchmark for gauging the effectiveness of arts therapy in the treatment of trauma.

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“We dance round in a ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows”: Art therapists' perspectives on dealing with secrets in therapy

Sela,

Bat-Or

2024

The Arts in Psychotherapy

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“My heart on this bit of paper”: A grounded theory of the mechanisms of change in art therapy for military veterans

Cited by 7 publications

References 56 publications

Dealing with opposites as a mechanism of change in art therapy in personality disorders: A mixed methods study

Dealing with opposites as a mechanism of change in art therapy in personality disorders: A mixed methods study

On the Effectiveness of Visual Arts Therapy for Traumatic Experiences: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

“We dance round in a ring and suppose, but the secret sits in the middle and knows”: Art therapists' perspectives on dealing with secrets in therapy

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