Art Therapy Research

A Practical Guide

Donna Betts, Sarah Deaver

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781317296942
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicina
• Subtopic: Medicina clínica

Art Therapy Research is a clear and intuitive guide for educators, students, and practitioners on the procedures for conducting art therapy research. Presented using a balanced view of paradigms that reflect the pluralism of art therapy research, this exciting new resource offers clarity while maintaining the complexity of research approaches and considering the various epistemologies and their associated methods. This text brings research to life through the inclusion of sample experientials in every chapter and student worksheets, as well as a full chapter on report writing that includes a completed sample report. This comprehensive guide is essential reading for educators looking to further the application of learning outcomes such as teamwork, communication, and critical thinking in their practice.

Chapter 1

Introduction to Art Therapy Research

The idea for writing this book came about based upon our experiences as art therapists and educators who have taught research at graduate art therapy programs in the United States. We had developed our own teaching materials over the years, and decided it was time to consolidate our ideas and pedagogical techniques, and to disseminate them. This book is the combined result of our experiences, materials, and knowledge, informed by our objective to provide a clear, definitive guide for educators, students, and practitioners on the procedures for conducting art therapy research, and presenting a balanced view of paradigms that reflect the pluralism of art therapy research.

As educators, we strive to prepare our students for work, citizenship, and life. This book was written with a commitment to this goal, as we believe that a strong art therapy research curriculum plays an important role in student preparation for the workforce, to enable them to become clinicians with an expanded worldview who are well-equipped as “research sensitive practitioners” (Huet, Springham, & Evans, 2014, p. 175). This approach is in keeping with the recent missive of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2018), which set out to promote an integrative approach to higher education. It thereby furthers the application of learning outcomes such as teamwork, communication, and critical thinking – skills to prepare students to become adept in ways that translate to lifelong learning.

This chapter describes the importance of research, factors impacting the growth of the art therapy profession as related to research, and how research is shaped by government agencies and other entities. Research methods and implications for clinical practice are explored, including foundations of art therapy research and the types of inquiry that will be most valuable for moving the field forward. The continuum of paradigms and research designs and types of research are also delineated to set a context for the ensuing chapters, which are outlined in the final section, “Text Organization.”

The Importance of Research

Research is a major source of knowledge for guiding our work with clients and helps us learn the best ways to orient our approach for addressing particular conditions or concerns. The ultimate aim of art therapy research is to understand more comprehensively how art therapy is beneficial, which improves the services we provide (Deaver, 2002; Rosal, 2011). Practitioners possess knowledge accrued over years of working directly with people seeking art therapy services. Thus, research is enhanced through input from art therapists actively providing clinical work, and both research and practice contribute to theory development. Practice, research, and theory together underlie what we do, how we know it is helpful, and what it means in terms of a theoretical framework.

For many decades research in art therapy has been declared a priority by leading scholars. A brief historical review reflects the evolution of research in the field, and how the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) has concomitantly supported and advocated for research initiatives (Rosal, 2011). During AATA’s formation in the 1960s, only four research articles were published. Later in the decade and into the 1970s, three emphases in research surfaced: assessment research – using individuals’ art to differentiate diagnoses or conditions (Levy & Ulman, 1967; Silver & Lavin, 1977), study of the effectiveness of art therapy or understanding the art therapy process (Kagin & Lusebrink, 1978; Wadeson, 1978), and investigations of professional settings such as art therapy educational programs and workplaces (Anderson & Landgarten, 1974; Landgarten, 1978). Scholarly contributions have of course increased beyond the 1970s, and as eminent authors have written about the importance of research in art therapy (Carolan, 2001; Deaver, 2002; Gantt, 1986, 1998; Kaplan, 2001) so the scholarly base has continued to evolve.

More recently, studies are emerging that provide support for claims that art therapy is a valuable and cost-effective treatment. For example, in a pivotal study by Monti et al. (2006), art therapy for women with cancer was demonstrated to provide a significant decrease in distress and significant improvements in health-related quality of life compared to a wait-list control group. A small randomized controlled trial (RCT) with veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) determined that art therapy in conjunction with treatment as usual (Cognitive Processing Therapy) at a VA (Veterans Affairs) hospital improved patients’ trauma processing by providing healthy distancing, enhanced trauma recall, and increased access to emotions, even though there were no statistical differences on standardized measures between experimental and control groups (Campbell, Decker, Kruk, & Deaver, 2016). Finally, a systematic review of several studies of patients with different clinical profiles by Uttley et al. (2015) found that, in ten of 15 RCTs (N = 777), art therapy was associated with positive outcomes in terms of mental health symptoms compared with controls. These three examples showcase recent advances, and also reflect that art therapy research is beginning to make the kind of impact that is needed to demonstrate efficacy of the profession to government bodies, legislators, healthcare agencies, and other decision-makers and stakeholders. Despite the advances, however, more needs to be done.

Factors Impacting the Growth of the Art Therapy Profession: How Research Can Help

This book was written during a time when the American Art Therapy Association (AATA, 2016) was striving to “advocate for expansion of access to professional art therapists and lead the nation in the advancement of art therapy as a regulated mental health and human services profession.” Many factors impact the AATA’s ability to achieve its mission, and the following delineates factors related to research efforts to advance the profession.

Efforts to professionalize art therapy have included the establishment of an external accreditation process for graduate art therapy programs through the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education (CAAHEP). The CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Art Therapy (S&Gs), adopted in 2016, include guidelines related to required course content for research, as is shown in Box 1.1.

Box 1.1 Standards and Guidelines for Art Therapy Educational Program Accreditation in “Content Area m: Research”

This book is designed to support the adherence of graduate art therapy programs to the Standards and Guidelines for the Accreditation of Educational Programs in Art Therapy (S&Gs) of the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP, 2016). In 2016, CAAHEP adopted S&Gs based upon the recommendation of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) and the Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education (ACATE). The S&Gs represent the minimum standards of quality used in accrediting graduate art therapy programs that prepare individuals to practice art therapy. The criteria for the content area “m” of “Research” are:

The curriculum must provide students with the opportunity to understand the purposes, methods, and ethical, legal, and cultural considerations of research and demonstrate the necessary skills to design and conduct a research study. Additional areas of coverage include the use of research to assess effectiveness of mental health and art therapy services by becoming an informed consumer of art therapy research. CAAHEP further delineates the required knowledge, skills, and behaviors that students must develop for competency in “Research.”

(p. 27)

In terms of Knowledge: (1) Recognize foundational purposes of research with emphasis on applications to the field; (2) Define research methodologies (e.g., quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods) and research design formats used in the field; (3) Describe art-based research methodologies as related to art therapy; and (4) Understand concepts of validity and reliability and applications to selection and application of assessments and tests.

In terms of Skills: (1) Apply methods used to conduct a review and critique of the literature on a topic of interest; (2) Perform basic steps required to design and conduct a research study; and (3) Demonstrate basic statistical concepts such as scales of measurement, measures of central tendency, variability, distribution of data, and relationships among data as applied in research studies.

In terms of Affective/Behavior: (1) Recognize ethical and legal considerations used to design, conduct, interpret, and report research; and (2) Recognize cultural considerations used when conducting, interpreting, and reporting research.

Another factor influencing the need to professionalize art therapy includes the impact of funding agency mandates on research endeavors. Increasing pressure is being imposed upon mental health professions to demonstrate treatment efficacy, through evidence-based research, to US government bodies, insurance companies, and other regulatory entities (Betts, 2016). Art therapy educators and students should be aware of factors shaping art therapists’ research pursuits and clinical practice. This is illustrated in the following section.

How Research is Shaped by Government Agencies and Other Entities

Researchers who seek recognition and endeavor to access funding must comply with a given agency’s specifications. In doing so, they yield to the dominating factors that influence research pursuits...