Holly Feen-Calligan

Constructing professional identity in art therapy through service-learning and practica

Professional identity is a term used to describe both the collective identity of a profession and an individuals own sense of the professional role. This article draws from the literature exploring professional identity with attention to the issues of developing professional identity in fields such as art therapy where lower wages, fewer jobs, and the frequent need to earn additional practice credentials exist. A qualitative research project was conducted during which students participated in service-learning in conjunction with an art therapy practicum assignment. Service-learning was introduced as a pedagogy to facilitate the identity construction of art therapy students, and was found to nurture aspects of professional identity described in the literature.

Lessons Learned from Three Projects Linking Social Work, the Arts, and Humanities

The aims of this paper are to illustrate how social workers can collaborate with designers and artists in addressing social issues facing communities and to identify the implications of such collaboration for social work education. The authors examine three projects linking social work, the arts, and humanities [Arts in Recovery (AIR), the Leaving Homelessness Intervention Research Project (LHIRP), and Interdisciplinary Research on Environmental Design (IRED)] for the lessons they offer social work education. They pay particular attention to the art exhibit and its catalog as products that educate the public on various social issues, as well as the exhibit visitation experience that parallels key components of traditional group work and community development. Implications for social work include teaching interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating the arts into social work methods, emphasizing the importance of participatory action research, and creating settings that promote community engagement. The authors then draw implications for how the arts and humanities can influence or otherwise shape the paradigm of social work education and instruction in the areas of policy, human behavior, practice methods, and research.

Homelessness among Older African-American Women: Interpreting a Serious Social Issue through the Arts in Community-Based Participatory Action Research

This article describes the incorporation of the arts into a community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) project formulated to develop and test practices for helping homeless older African-American women. Studying how older African-American women become homeless has evolved into developing and testing promising interventions by the Leaving Homelessness Intervention Research Project (LHIRP). The womens participation in creative group activities helped them to communicate their experience with homelessness, express their concerns, develop personal strengths, and obtained mutual understanding. The use of multiple art forms has revealed a number of creative strengths among the participants, which have in turn inspired innovative artistic strategies and methodologies as part of the multiple methods that LHIRP incorporates. These interventions have been useful in helping participants resolve their homelessness. The role and benefit of the arts in CBPAR is described to show how creative activities help researchers and the public to better understand the complexities of homelessness.

Art Therapy as a Profession: Implications for the Education and Training of Art Therapists

AbstractThe reciprocal relationship between art therapy practice and education has been addressed by Wadeson (1989). Recently, others have speculated about the future of art therapy and art therapy education in light of todays social, political, and economic climate (see Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, Vols. 1, 2, 3, 4). This article explores the question, “What should art therapy education comprise in order for our profession to remain vital?” The question is addressed by observing patterns in the development of related professions and professional education. Three professions—medicine, social work, and psychology—are examined. Four lessons for the art therapy profession that seem apparent upon analysis of these professions are outlined. This article attempts to contribute to the discussion of the direction necessary for art therapy education.

Art Therapy Applications of Dolls in Grief Recovery, Identity, and Community Service

This article reviews the history of dollmaking that is relevant to art therapy, and the application of dolls as therapeutic media in clinical and educational settings. The authors describe their experiences using dollmaking in the resolution of grief, in professional identity construction, and in community service. The article addresses the benefits of dollmaking in clinical practice, as well as for personal awareness.

Quilting in Self-Efficacy Group Work With Older African American Women Leaving Homelessness

Abstract The use of quilting as an art therapy intervention in a self-efficacy group of African American women who were leaving homelessness is examined in this article. Two quilting workshops (n = 8; n = 12) contributed to a larger parent project (N = 530 over a 10-year period), entitled the “Leaving Homelessness Intervention Research Project,” conducted in a U.S. Midwestern city. In addition to framing the importance of quilting as a form of group work and health promotion that may foster resilience toward stressful transitions, the authors offer a rationale, outcomes, and guidelines for community building and advocacy through the quilting form that is a heritage of American folk art.

Evaluation of an Art Therapy Program: Client Perceptions and Future Directions

Program evaluation has the potential to offer many useful benefits to the field of art therapy, yet little has been published in this area. This brief report presents a practical strategy for art therapy program evaluation based on participant evaluations (N=120) of a 10-week community based art therapy workshop. The evaluations consisted of self-reports by participants to open ended questions: (a) whether expectations were met, (b) likes and dislikes, (c) suggested changes for the workshop, (d) perceived personal changes, and (e) interest in continued participation. The report describes a participant-led evaluation tool, the evaluation findings, planned revisions in the questionnaire, and considerations for future program development, evaluation, and art therapy research.

How Do We Care for People? Introducing a Special Issue on Art Therapy in Palliative Care

106 In the movie Patch Adams (Shadyac, 1998), based on the life of Dr. Hunter “Patch” Adams, a patient with pancreatic cancer, miserable and alone, threw bedpans at any staff member who attempted to engage him in conversation. Nurses warned the medical student Patch not to go into the room: The man didn’t want visitors, he had his medications, and there was nothing else that could be done. Convinced that the patient needed more than medications and to be left alone, Patch donned a set of angel wings and spoke to him as a “coming attraction.” Finally a breakthrough: The patient responded to this straightforward use of humor as a palliative intervention, was presumably shocked into a sense of relief through Patch’s desperate attempt to connect with him, and found an outlet for his grief and loss. Albeit an unconventional example (and unlikely in real life), this scene from Patch Adams illustrates the premise of palliative care: Health care should not be limited to treating the disease, but should encompass caring for the person—body, mind, and spirit. But what exactly is palliative care? Like art therapy, the examples of palliative care are numerous and varied. Tailored to the needs of the individual patient and the patient’s family, one person’s experience with palliative care is likely not the same as another person’s experience. The World Health Organization (WHO, n.d.) currently defines palliative care as:

The Use of Art Therapy in Detoxification from Chemical Addiction

Abstract The changing nature of chemical addiction treatment in North America requires art therapists to re-evaluate their services for this population, beginning in the detoxification phase of treatment. This article documents a gap in the art therapy literature in detoxification from chemical addiction, and describes how art therapy can be used to support the goals of a detoxification regimen. The theory and techniques described are drawn from the authors clinical experiences, and supported by professional literature. Research that demonstrates the efficacy of art therapy in detoxification is recommended.

Linking personal qualifications to education standards

This paper examines how the personal qualifications required to practice art therapy can be integrated into the American Art Therapy Association Education Standards. A review of current and historical documents demonstrates the importance of personal qualifications of art therapists. The author proposes a link between education standards and personal qualifications by identifying the latter as specific competencies. The article concludes with recommendations for how to proceed with linking personal qualifications to education standards. This article is intended to provoke thought and discussion about what personal qualifications are necessary to practice art therapy, and how these qualifications can be developed during graduate preparation.