Opening Art Therapy Thresholds: Mechanisms That Influence Change in the Community Art Therapy Studio

From Therapeutic Factors to Mechanisms of Change in the Creative Arts Therapies: A Scoping Review

“…Art therapy takes place in the safety of the studio environment (Van Lith, 2015 ; Abbing et al, 2018 ; Nolan, 2019 ; Bosgraaf et al, 2020 ) and functions in the context of a strong therapeutic alliance (Bosgraaf et al, 2020 ; Keidar et al, 2020 ). Art therapists work in the here and now (Haeyen et al, 2015 ) to facilitate the expression and clarification of thoughts and feelings visually (Deboys et al, 2017 ; Abbing et al, 2018 ; Czamanski-Cohen et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Along with other CATs, art therapy provides a safe and structured pathway for playful, creative experimentation and self-awareness (Deboys et al, 2017 ; Gabel and Robb, 2017 ; Abbing et al, 2018 ; Nolan, 2019 ). Art therapy, like all CATs, modulates one's sense of time and space; art therapy promotes relaxation and a flow state (Abbing et al, 2018 ).…”

Art Is Fun, Art Is Serious Business, and Everything in between: Learning from Art Therapy Research and Practice with Children and Teens

“…More and more, art therapy work takes place in non-traditional settings that benefit communities and individuals through less clinical frames such as open studio and community outreach models [ 29 , 35 ]. Work of this sort often takes place in community centers, NGOs, shelters, hospitals, community events, and places of worship and gathering.…”

“…In my experience, working in non-clinical settings requires the therapist to remain professional yet very flexible and open. The focus on relationship forming (with community members, and theirs’ with art making and art products) are supported by safety, acceptance, and opportunity [ 29 ], which are held and modeled by the therapist. When R and F, a mother and daughter who had been displaced due to Hurricane Katrina, attended an outreach open studio I facilitated, they first arrived in my space searching for water and a place to sit and eat.…”

“…Another non-traditional setting in which children and teens are being exposed to art making and art therapy intervention includes the growing field of community art therapy. Such work sets to “promote individual and communal transformation outside of traditional health settings” [ 29 ], in such sites, the work focuses on wellness of community members through art making that supports (a) safety (structure), (b) acceptance (nonjudgment, genuineness), and (c) opportunity (authentic self, exploration, creativity, self-care). In such work, the choice of materials should take into consideration a wide range of personal, familial, and developmental needs as well as the cultural relevance of the material and the space of work and handling (storing/sharing/presenting) the art products.…”