[LAUIL601] Art Therapy and Trauma Dissertation

 

[LAUIL601] Feedback on Fourth Draft

Reflection:

 • My original first draft was far over the word count by at least 1,300. I've worked incredibly hard to paraphrase and be concise.

• Feedback is a lot more positive on this draft and I will keep working towards implementing the suggestions to create stronger writing.

• Only a few things to amend and expand on: removing a header, expanding on two points!

• I've really wanted to involve Amy and work with tutor feedback to make my written work as academically sound as possible for submission and to instil confidence in what I'm doing. I've worked incredibly hard at researching and creating a strong portfolio of outcomes. I'm not just doing this to submit anything and pass. Last year was incredibly difficult for me and flagged up a lot of issues with access which then impeded my confidence. This year continued some of those concerns but many things are out of my control. What is in my control is my motivation and my determination to keep chipping away at working to create something to be proud of. I want to be proud of this year as I was of my first year of university and I am proud. That is the end goal!

[LAUIL601] Evidencing To-Do Lists

 

[LAUIL601] Tutor Feedback to First Draft

 

Feedback from Amy and Katie:

• Referencing/citing things clearer

• Shifting some sections around: Aims at the start of the introduction, art therapy definition after the introduction

• Full name and expertise of the person I'm citing

• Linking the art therapy framework to my own practical work (need to develop this further)

• Removing the art therapy misconceptions section as it's redundant, perhaps using a line or two?

• Removing paragraph titles may help with the flow of my discussion

• Developing some paragraphs further

My own observations:

• I need to be wary of my wordcount as what I submitted was far over what it should be. I submitted something along the lines of 6,800 when the maximum can be 5,500 - I just really wanted some feedback on what I was doing. I need to pair back quotes and what I want to say.

• I go between quotes and speech marks and need to be consistent in one or the other

• I capitalise Art Therapy in some cases and other times do not. I need to be consistent. 

Onto draft two...

[LAUIL601] Visual Essay - Considerations and Design Problems

 • I have a YouTube video so how would I get around implementing images, text and a video?

• I'm not the most technologically sound and I'm getting on in age; I don't know what the latest sites and things are anymore

• After contacting Amy, Google slides will house all 3 elements and be acceptable to submit as a visual essay but part of me feels like it's not worthy enough of the time I've spent writing a dissertation?

• Would creating a PDF in Adobe Acrobat allow for multimedia? (after looking into this, yes it does allow video)

• I need to do some more research into what issuu can do. I had an account from 2016-17 in my first year of the illustration course but I often get emails to pay for premium. I remember trying to access it in my second year and they wanted me to pay for it as I'd been a member for a year at this point. I have now looked into issue again as I was going to create a PDF and then post to issue. You can create an issue by all means but you CANNOT embed a code onto your blog for free without payment. Fees are £14 a month!

Options:

• Google Slides

• PDF in Adobe Acrobat

• Issuu

• Combining images and text in Word

Considerations

• Accessibility for my screenreader. I cannot create something that is not going to be inaccessible and that I will struggle with but I also want to honour the time, effort and care that has gone into this project for the past few months. I have not taken this dissertation lightly and have faced my fears. I want to house it into something worthy.

• Multimedia of images, text and video. My outcomes includes a video, images and poetry.

• Adding multimedia to PDFs: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/adding-multimedia-pdfs.html?mv=product&mv2=acrobat#

I may need to screen capture my Youtube video to post into the PDF.

• How to download YouTube Videos onto a Mac: https://www.wikihow.com/Download-YouTube-Videos-on-a-Mac

[LAUIL601] Bibliography

 • American Art Therapy Association. (n.d.) Available at: https://arttherapy.org/ [Accessed: 9 April 2021].

• Art Therapy Blog. (n.d.) What is Art Therapy? Available at: http://www.arttherapyblog.com/what-is-art-therapy/ [Accessed: 10 March 2021].

• Art Therapy Decoded (2019) 1.1 We Have to Create, It's Part of Our Biology with Dr. Amy Backos. [Podcast] 25 November. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/08jK6es4Eb6JZFN7l0hglg?si=Jf29aiOISVSTs3P__r-lpg [Accessed:7 April 2021].

• Art Therapy Resources. (n.d.) What Happens in An Art Therapy Session? Available at: https://arttherapyresources.com.au/happens-art-therapy-session/ [Accessed 1 Jun 2021]. 

• Backos, A (2021). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Art Therapy. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

• Backos, A. (2021). Instagram Messages, 11 June. 

• Basquez-Simpson, D. (2021). Facebook Messenger, 15 March.

• Boyd, B et al. (2020) #InsideTheStudio with Brandon Boyd [Instagram] 12 November. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHgEzo6h6j3 [Accessed: 12 November 2020].

• British Association of Art Therapists. (2021) About Art Therapy. Available at: https://www.baat.org/About-Art-Therapy [Accessed: 9 April 2021].

• Brown, P. M. & Cross, G. (2019) 'A Comparison of the Positive Effects of Structured and Nonstructured Art Activities'. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association. Volume 36, 2019 - Issue 1. pp. 22-29. doi: 10.1080/07421656.2019.1564642 [Accessed: 19 May 2021]

• Ceaușu, F. (2018). ‘The Healing Power of Art Therapy’ Review of Artistic Education, Mar 2018, Vol. 16 Issue 1, p203-211

• Cherry, K. (2021). What Is Art Therapy? Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-art-therapy-2795755 [Accessed 14: May 2021].

• Christie, E. (2021). Instagram Messages, 27 March.

• Cohen, A. (2019). Is Creativity in Your DNA? Available at: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-creativity-dna [Accessed: 04 May 2021].

• Cohen-Yatziv, L. & Regev, D. (2018). ‘Effectiveness of Art Therapy With Adult Clients in 2018-What Progress Has Been Made? Frontiers in Psychology 9, 1531. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01531. [Accessed 5 Jun 2021]

• Consume Comms. (2020). Creative Conversations - What If We Just Made Art for Us? [Facebook] 6 October. Available at: https://fb.watch/5N10xpmHBz/ [Accessed: 6th Oct 2020].

• Fraggle, R. (2021). Instagram Messages, 2 May. 

• Fusco, K. (2019). Episode 3 - Let's Discuss Art Therapy. [Podcast]. 23 September. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2xfyE693KluZHEqBEmOFfu?si=mRqBEwSnRD2pTMTlegcsww [Accessed: 10 April 2021].

• Good Therapy. (2016) Art Therapy. Available At: https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/art-therapy [Accessed 04 May 2021]

• Hammal, C. (2015). Art Therapy - A World Beyond Creative Expression | Carol Hammal | TEDxGUC. [YouTube Video]. 2 February. https://youtu.be/Ee9iRmGFyvA [Accessed: 5 May 2021].

• Harjatanaya, C. (2020). An Insight into Art Therapy | Cindy Harjatanaya | TEDxYouth@SWA. [YouTube Video]. 18 August. https://youtu.be/etanmN_9wU8 [Accessed: 11 May 2021].

• Hull, M. (2021). PTSD Facts and Statistics. Available at: https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/mental-health/ptsd/related/ptsd-statistics/ [Accessed: 8 Jun 2021].

• Kruk, K. A. et al. (2014) ‘Comparison of Brain Activity During Drawing and Clay Sculpting: A Preliminary qEEG Study’, Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 31(2), pp. 52–60. doi: 10.1080/07421656.2014.903826.

• Lawton, A. (2016). Art as Empowerment: The Virtue of Art Therapy | Ann Lawton | TEDxUWRiverFalls. [YouTube Video] 14 March. Available at: https://youtu.be/bPszGBfjuOY [Accessed: 4 May 2021].

• Lederman, L. (2019). Can I Do Art Therapy Myself? Available at: https://thearttherapyproject.org/blog/2019/12/4/can-i-do-art-therapy-myself [Accessed 11 Jun 2021]. 

• Leonard, R. (2021). ‘Wellness Versus Art’ Art Monthly Australasia, Autumn 2021, Issue 327, p74-9

• Macpherson, G. et al (2017). Episode 261: Art Therapy & Trauma- Focused Treatment. Emma Cameron. [Podcast] 11 December. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2MjpOYWuuwld5addWL534h?si=9LMFoDLGSJyFsQ6dbqfr8g [Accessed: 12 April 2021].

• Malchiodi, C. (2020). Expressive Arts Therapy and Trauma: Movement, Sound, Image, Performance with Cathy Malchiodi, PhD. [YouTube Video]. 23 September. https://youtu.be/SutB72QBvZs [Accessed: 11 May 2021].

• Manson, S. (2021) Garbage’s Shirley Manson: “Being human is to be messy. If you think you’re above all that you’re in deep, deep trouble” Available at: https://www.kerrang.com/features/garbages-shirley-manson-being-human-is-to-be-messy-if-you-think-youre-above-all-that-youre-in-deep-deep-trouble/ [Accessed: 20 Jun 2021].

• Mind. Arts and Creative Therapies. (n.d.) Available at: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/arts-and-creative-therapies/about-arts-and-creative-therapies/ [Accessed: 3 March 2021].

• Mind (2020). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Available at: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-and-facts-about-mental-health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems/ [Accessed: 6 Jun 2021].

• Morgan, C. (2020). Hello from Illustration Student at Leeds Arts University and Questions for Dissertation. 12 Nov. [Email]

• Muller, R. (2000). When a Patient Has No Story to Tell: Alexithymia. Available at: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/when-patient-has-no-story-tell-alexithymia [Accessed: 10 April 2021].

• Rodriguez, G.S. (n.d) ‘Alexithymia: When You Have No Words to Describe How You’re Feeling’. Available at: https://thepsychologygroup.com/alexithymia/ [Accessed: 10 April 2021].

• Ross, D. (2017). How Trauma Affects the Brain: Doctors’ Notes. Available at: https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/analysis/2017/12/04/how-trauma-affects-the-brain-doctors-notes.html [Accessed: 29 April 2021].

• Sandmire, D. et al. (2012). ‘The Influence of Art Making on Anxiety: A Pilot Study’, Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 29(2), pp. 68–73. doi: 10.1080/07421656.2012.683748.

• Shannon, K. (2020). #64 - Attachment, Relational Trauma, and Creative Arts Therapies with Kate Shannon, LPC, LCAT, MT-BC. [Podcast], 3 December. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0RYiCaNZnWNIVFjASqHHsU?si=liPIF2tuQZK7KYPcHUPfsw [Accessed: 25 April 2021].

• Spooner, H. (2016). ‘Embracing a Full Spectrum Definition of Art Therapy’ Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 2016, Vol. 33 Issue 3, p163-166

• Taylor, James et al. (2020). CL248: Mindfulness and The Creative Process - Interview with Ora Nadrich [Podcast]. 18 February. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/11cZeNfX4tKegN4FZDHXc5?si=yppYOdLTSFSkTxfkpOzGTg [Accessed: 22 April 2021].

• Taylor, James et al. (2020). CL254: Mindfulness for Creativity and Writers Block - Interview with Diane Gehart [Podcast]. 31 March. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/11ENYMMFvppOoGGm6C1Blh?si=B96bMoFYQHarGQTPTkp8Lg [Accessed: 19 April 2021].

• Taylor, James et al. (2021) Marcus du Sautoy – the Creativity Code: Art and Innovation in the Age of Artificial intelligence. [Podcast] 7 April. Available at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Xw2oQyBRNgt4fbAZ4mNZZ?si=48xrEqNZQ-6S9fsHfxHcoA [Accessed: 20 May 2021].

• The American Art Therapy Association. (2017) ‘Art Therapy in Action: Trauma’. Available at: https://youtu.be/lOQmxkb6Dmo [Accessed: 10 April 2021].

• Torres, F. (2020) What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Available at: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/ptsd/what-is-ptsd [Accessed: 7 Jun].

• Utley, L. et al. (2015). ‘Systematic review and economic modelling of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of art therapy among people with non-psychotic mental health disorders’ NIHR Journals, Chapter 2. Library. DOI 10.3310/hta19180

• Viado, L et al (2018). 92: Reconnecting with Our Creativity. [Podcast], 4th October. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5U1Zd7fxAT1CyoH9ngAtYG?si=7qYjJCu8S3SrBRCW2iKeQg [Accessed: 2 May 2021].

• Wigham, S. et al. (2020) ‘Using Arts-Based Therapies to Improve Mental Health for Children and Young People with Physical Health Long-Term Conditions: A Systematic Review of Effectiveness’ Front Psychol, eCollection, 2020.  doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01771.

[LAUIL601] In Conversation with Professional Art Therapist: Dr. Diana Basquez-Simpson - Pt 2

I reached out to Art Therapist Dr. Diana Basquez-Simpson to ask her thoughts on whether it is possible to self-direct out own art therapy journey as that is one question I wanted to unpick in my research as my project has developed. Her is our conversation:

Kimberley: Hi Diana, I hope you don't mind me contacting you again! I just wanted to ask a question and for your opinion on it. Do you think it's possible for someone, specifically an artist, to undertake a healing journey without having an art therapist present, but perhaps while having talk therapy? For example, I have verbal therapy and talk about some of my traumas (which is really difficult to do at times and I sometimes keep myself closed off about things) and then in my own time and my own studio unpick some of the things I've lived through and kept secret by using art materials to explore that. In a way I become my own art therapist but without the qualification, while retaining what a therapist has said to me and while making connections. Is this valid? Is it phony? Does it undermine what a trained art therapist does? Thank you for your feedback! It's just something that came to me while I'm completing my dissertation and while my painting practice changed this past year. I really appreciate everything you shared with me and how you helped shape my writing. It's almost done and I can't wait to submit it!

Diana: Hey Kimberley! So glad you reached out. Please feel free to do so any time at all. 

I think what you’re describing is completely valid. For artists, I believe the art itself and the process of creating are a language. This can be true for anyone. It can be very difficult to put feelings and traumatic experiences into words. Art is a great way to express inner material and it can even help us find answers we didn’t know we were seeking. It sounds like you use art to process material arising in your talk therapy sessions. I think that’s perfect. To me, this sort of process transcends definition. If it helps someone I’m all for it!

The only time I get ‘salty’ about it is when people call themselves Art Therapists or proclaim they offer art therapy for profit when they lack the proper training. You’re using this process to help make sense of and process material for personal benefit, which I think is absolutely fine. 

In addition to that, you’ve done your homework and have educated yourself about Art Therapy. It says much about your respect for the profession you asked the question. Others may feel differently about the subject…this is just my 2 cents!

Congratulations on the nearing completion of your dissertation!! That’s really exciting Kimberley

Kimberley: Thank you so very much for everything! This has been so very helpful!

[LAUIL601] In Conversation with Professional Art Therapist Dr. Amy Backos

One of the questions that has arised during this project is whether we can self-guide and self-direct our own healing and become our own art therapist. No one knows our own trauma like we do. I thought I would reach out to the son whose book has been the foundation of this project for her insight and guidance. Here is our conversation:

Kimberley: Hi Dr Amy! I hope you don't mind me messaging you with a few questions for my dissertation on art therapy. I'm starting to feel overwhelmed with my research and could really use some guidance.

• Why do you think art therapy works so well and so successfully, especially in relation to trauma?

• How many art therapy sessions does a client tend to have?

• What misconceptions do you find people have about art therapy?

• Do you think it's possible for someone to feel the benefits of art therapy without seeing a qualified art therapist? For example, if they are doing talk therapy sessions but making art in their own time to address their concerns about their traumatic experiences? I do talk therapy sessions and often discuss what it was like to bear witness to my mum's severe stroke while we were in a shopping mall. I would then do the 'art as therapy' in my studio afterwards to face what happened and start to make sense of it. Is this still valid without an art therapist present?

Amy: Hello! Tell me about your dissertation! What program are you in? Amy

Kimberley: Hi Amy! Thank you so much for getting back to me!

I'm at Leeds Arts University and I'm in the final year of the illustration program. I'm purely an artist and have no psychotherapy or counselling skills, though I've had counselling for a number of years and the area interests me greatly. I have self-directed my own healing this year through one of the modules and Art Therapy is perhaps something I would like to move onto for my MA. I'm deciding between that or Fine Art and developing my practice further, but with a healing lens.

While I'm still in an art institution my dissertation and practice are mostly art-focused for now., My dissertation is called "Art Therapy and Trauma: How Can Art Therapy Be Used to Help Support Trauma and PTSD?" and I'm trying to unpick a few things:

• What creativity is and why it's good for us from a scientific standpoint

• What trauma is by definition and what happens to our brains afterwards

• What art therapy is, what an art therapy session entails and what an art therapist does

• Art as therapy and whether we can achieve the same benefits of art therapy alone in our practice or if we need to have the guidance of an art therapist

The main question I'd like to try and answer is whether we need to have an art therapist with us, or can it be a personal journey that we undertake ourselves?

Amy: So cool! I believe we know art to be healing and people find so much relief in externalizing their inner feelings. An art therapist can facilitate that process for transformation of trauma, moving away from feeling stuck and stop avoidance. I find the art I made growing up and all my life to be healing. A lot of what you are wondering I address in my book, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder & Art Therapy. I think you would also find helpful info in Art as a Way if Knowing by Pat Allen for art without a therapist. Art and Fear is another good book for creativity and how it happens (forgot the author). I hope that helps for resources! Good luck with your project!! Keep me posted! One more-trauma definition can be found in the context of the disorders accrue stress disorder and PTSD. However, traumas can be little or big and are disruptions to development and relationship.

Kimberley: Thank you ever so much, I'm very grateful for your help!

[LAUIL601] Secondary Research: Academic Journal - Effectiveness of Art Therapy With Adult Clients in 2018 - What Progress Has Been Made?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6124538/

Regev, D., & Cohen-Yatziv, L. (2018). Effectiveness of Art Therapy With Adult Clients in 2018-What Progress Has Been Made?. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1531. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01531

• In the year 2000, an important art therapy literature review addressed an essential question—does art therapy work? It discussed 17 articles dealing with the issue of the effectiveness of art therapy. Two decades later, this research field has extended its scope and is flourishing.

•  The aim of this systematic literature review is to contribute to the ongoing discussion in the field by exploring the latest studies dealing with the effectiveness of art therapy with a broad scope of adult clients. 

• It underscores the potential effects of art therapy on these seven clinical populations, and recommends the necessary expansions for future research in the field, to enable art therapy research to take further strides forward.

• In 1999, nearly two decades ago, the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) (1999) issued a mission statement that outlined the organization's commitment to research, defined the preferential topics for this research, and suggested future research directions in the field. One year later, Reynolds et al. (2000) published a review of studies that addressed the therapeutic effectiveness of art therapy. They included studies that differed in terms of research quality and standards.

• 'The accumulated results of the studies in this category suggest that further research is needed to assess the effectiveness of interventions in art therapy for clients dealing with mental health issues.'

• 'The fourth category included art therapy with clients coping with trauma (see Table ​Table4).4). In this category, two studies have been conducted since 2004, both with randomization (level 1). The first study (Pizarro, 2004) was composed of a sample of 45 students who participated in two art therapy sessions. These students had dealt with a traumatic event, which could occur at different levels of intensity and at various stages in their lives. In addition, the comparison was made between an art-therapy group and two comparison groups where one underwent writing therapy and the other experimented with artwork, regardless of the traumatic event. Despite the attempt to use a wide range of indices, including symptom reporting and emotional and health assessments, and perhaps because of the short duration of therapy, this study failed to find significant results.'

• The second study (Kopytin and Lebedev, 2013) examined a sample of 112 war veterans who participated in 12–14 art therapy sessions. In this study, in which the definition of the traumatic event was more specific and defined by involvement in war, an attempt was also made to measure the level of improvement through a wide range of research indices, including reports of symptoms, emotional state, and quality of life. For some of the indices, there was a significant improvement compared to the control group.

• These two articles thus present an inconsistent picture of the beneficial effects of this intervention, which may depend on the indices measured, the duration of therapy, and possibly the type of traumatic event. 

[LAUIL601] Developmental Work: Feedback on Retinal Detachment Pieces

 

• Putting work into a different context. The pieces I made were originally about retinal detachment, and using art as therapy to work through the trauma of what I've been through with flashing lights, total blackness and 4 emergency surgeries: and the level of low vision I have left now trying to make sense of the world through floaters and ocular migraines in the upper part of my left eye. The put into a new context, attached with a quote to portray the mood I was feeling that day, the feedback was interesting to gauge.

• Feedback was slow to start with as my audience was growing on the instagram platform. It gets better and more engaging through the slides

• I do realise that critique is informal, encouraging and positive and does not help to develop my practice in any way because of the audience not being made up of any illustration peers. At the same time, these were vulnerable, raw and authentic pieces made through my own self-directed "art as therapy" open studio sessions where I was working through extreme isolation in the pandemic, through the second lockdown November-December, without Tami for months while she had surgery.

• Three different ways of looking at the same piece of work through square viewfinders. What does the audience see through colour and marks and how it is framed through a square on Instagram?

• I experienced avoidance of crit sessions as a trauma and personal issues. avoidance is a huge part of going through trauma and I didn't know why I did this so much until I researched into the topic, especially Dr. Backos' book Art Therapy and PTSD. It was easier for me to upload into the online domain, in my own time, with strangers and friends rather than a class of peers I didn’t know very well and who don’t understand my visual disability.

• What could be better? What could be improved? I definitely fell into a state, and sense, of comfortability and complacency at using the same tools (charcoal and oil pastel in particular) to convey retinal detachment. It was only when I started to use acrylic paints on canvas and a "monoprinting at home" technique with a Gelli plate that my practice started to soft a little bit more. I could have and should have done this much sooner to challenge and inspire myself.

[LAUIL601] Secondary Research: Academic Journal - Using Arts-Based Therapies to Improve Mental Health. A Systematic Review of Effectiveness.

 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33101097/ 

Sarah Wigham et al. Front Psychol. 2020. Using Arts-Based Therapies to Improve Mental Health for Children and Young People With Physical Health Long-Term Conditions: A Systematic Review of Effectiveness. 2020 Sep 25;11:1771.  doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01771.  eCollection 2020.

• Arts-based therapies involve using creative media to develop a therapeutic relationship, and offer a potential alternative to talking-based therapies.

• The aim of this systematic review is to establish the effectiveness of arts-based therapies for improving the mental health of children with physical health LTCs.

• Sixteen studies met inclusion criteria and demonstrated some improvements on indicators of mental health and well-being including quality of life, coping behaviors, anxiety, self-concept, and mood.

• However, replication across interventions and outcomes was absent. Overall, the quality of evidence of effectiveness in the studies reviewed was moderate/weak.

• This was due to bias in study design; other limitations included a lack of detail on intervention components, e.g., use of a manual, and single recruitment sites.

[LAUIL601] Secondary Research: Academic Journal - Systematic review and economic modelling of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of art therapy among people with non-psychotic mental health disorders

 Systematic review and economic modelling of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of art therapy among people with non-psychotic mental health disorders. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279641/

Uttley L, Scope A, Stevenson M, et al. Systematic review and economic modelling of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of art therapy among people with non-psychotic mental health disorders. Southampton (UK): NIHR Journals Library; 2015 Mar. (Health Technology Assessment, No. 19.18.) Chapter 2, Clinical effectiveness of art therapy: quantitative systematic review. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279641/ DOI 10.3310/hta19180

• Trauma Study: Chapman et al. 2001[49]

This RCT of brief art therapy versus treatment as usual was carried out in children (n = 85) hospitalised with PTSD. A 1-hour individual session was provided but the number of sessions was not reported. Outcomes were measured at baseline and at 1 week, 1 month, and 6 and 12 months (in children who were still symptomatic). The targeted symptom was PTSD. The outcome measurement tool was Children’s Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Index (PTSD-I). The method of statistical analysis was not described. No significant differences were found between groups, but a non-significant trend towards greater reduction in PTSD-I scores was observed in the intervention group relative to the control group.

• Trauma Study: Lyshak-Stelzer et al. 2007[48]

This RCT in adolescents (n = 29) with PTSD compared art therapy with arts and crafts activities. Sixteen weekly group sessions were provided. The targeted symptom was PTSD. Outcome measurement tools were the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) PTSD Reaction Index (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fourth Edition, Child Version) (primary measure) and milieu behavioural measures (e.g. use of restraints). Measurement time points were not reported, but data at two years were provided. Pre- and post-test scores were compared between groups using repeated-measures ANOVA. The intervention was significantly better than control at reducing PTSD symptoms, according to the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index.

• Trauma Study: Thyme et al. 2007[47]

This was a RCT in depressed female adults (n = 39) of psychodynamic art therapy versus verbal dynamic psychotherapy. Ten 60-minute weekly sessions (individual/group not reported) were provided. Targeted symptoms were stress reactions after a range of traumatic events, mental health symptoms and depression. Outcome measurements were Impact of Event Scale, Symptom-Checklist-90 (SCL-90), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hamilton Rating Scale of Depression scores. Measurements were recorded at baseline, at 10 weeks and at a 3-month follow-up. All patients improved from baseline on all scales (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between groups so art therapy was not significantly different to the comparator at either time point.

• Among the three studies examining trauma,47–49 art therapy resulted in significant reduction of symptoms of trauma in all studies. While trauma improved from baseline, there was no significant difference between the art therapy and control groups in any of the three studies.

•  The limited available evidence showed that patients receiving art therapy had significant positive improvements in 14 out of 15 RCTs. In 10 of these studies, art therapy resulted in significantly more improved outcomes than the control, while in four studies art therapy resulted in an improvement from baseline but the improvement in the intervention group was not significantly greater than in the control group. In one study, outcomes were better in the control group than in the art therapy group. Relevant mental health outcome domains that were targeted in the included studies were depression, anxiety, mood, trauma, distress, QoL, coping, cognition and self-esteem.

[LAUIL601] Developmental Work: Retinal Detachment

• From pushing an idea as far as it can go through various materials, I was able to work through my trauma of retinal detachment and making sense of my level of vision I have as a result now, the various floaters and flashing lights with ocular migraines I have to deal with regularly that make living and studying difficult.

• This was a therapeutic process which had much personal value and gave me a lot of freedom and release to express what I can see and experience but can’t describe to other people as it's extremely difficult to do so.

• The use of mark-making and texture to convey floaters and disruption in vision is incredibly powerful and unique I think and the start to a portfolio 

• Scan lines appeared from time to time which were interesting developments that added to the work and visual quality

• Making sense of my suicidal thoughts on the night I wanted to take my life and using art as therapy for the first time: I discovered that I was drowning on the inside and wanted to externalise that and make it a reality. So many overwhelming things have happened to me these past 3 years. Using art as therapy made the unconscious conscious and made me face my fears, anxieties and realisations.

• Learning about art therapy in 601 has helped me learn what I was doing in my practical work without realising at the time and it's important to note that in hindsight. I was resoling conflicts and creating a safe space for myself, using the creative process to heal.