What does safety look like? Implications for a preliminary resource and regulation-focused art therapy assessment tool

Background. Art therapy uses the creative process to encourage personal growth and alleviate symptoms of mental illness. The Art Therapy Institute provides programs for refugee adolescents from Burma to decrease their trauma-related symptoms. This article describes and discusses the methods and findings from an evaluation of this program. The challenges of assessing art therapy with this population and assessment tool gaps are explored and suggestions for future evaluations discussed. Method. Four validated clinical assessment tools were administered to 30 participants at baseline and follow-up to measure symptoms of anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems. Focus group discussions with clinicians were used to assess the evaluation. Results. Nearly all participants had experienced one or more traumatic events. At baseline, results showed a higher prevalence of depression than national rates among adolescents. Follow-up results showed improvements in anxiety and self-concept. Qualitative findings suggest that specific benefits of art therapy were not adequately captured with the tools used. Discussion. This evaluation showed some effects of art therapy; however, symptom-focused assessment tools are not adequate to capture clients’ growth resulting from the traumatic experience and this unique intervention. Future evaluations will benefit by using an art-based assessment and measuring posttraumatic growth.

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The Development of a Music Therapy Assessment Tool for Hospitalized Children

Music Therapy Perspectives ◽

10.1093/mtp/24.2.73 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 73-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

E. T. Douglass

Keyword(s):

Music Therapy ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Hospitalized Children ◽

Therapy Assessment

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Assessing and disclosing test results for ‘mild cognitive impairment’: the perspective of old age psychiatrists in Scotland

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-021-02693-x ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Stina Saunders ◽

Craig W. Ritchie ◽

Tom C. Russ ◽

Graciela Muniz-Terrera ◽

Richard Milne

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Old Age ◽

Assessment Tool ◽

Clinical History ◽

Diagnostic Process ◽

Test Results ◽

Risk Disclosure ◽

Therapy Assessment ◽

The Individual

Abstract Background Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition that exists between normal healthy ageing and dementia with an uncertain aetiology and prognosis. This uncertainty creates a complex dynamic between the clinicians’ conception of MCI, what is communicated to the individual about their condition, and how the individual responds to the information conveyed to them. The aim of this study was to explore clinicians’ views around the assessment and communication of MCI in memory clinics. Method As part of a larger longitudinal study looking at patients’ adjustment to MCI disclosure, we interviewed Old Age Psychiatrists at the five participating sites across Scotland. The study obtained ethics approvals and the interviews (carried out between Nov 2020–Jan 2021) followed a semi-structured schedule focusing on [1] how likely clinicians are to use the term MCI with patients; [2] what tests clinicians rely on and how much utility they see in them; and [3] how clinicians communicate risk of progression to dementia. The interviews were voice recorded and were analysed using reflective thematic analysis. Results Initial results show that most clinicians interviewed (Total N = 19) considered MCI to have significant limitations as a diagnostic term. Nevertheless, most clinicians reported using the term MCI (n = 15/19). Clinical history was commonly described as the primary aid in the diagnostic process and also to rule out functional impairment (which was sometimes corroborated by Occupational Therapy assessment). All clinicians reported using the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-III as a primary assessment tool. Neuroimaging was frequently found to have minimal usefulness due to the neuroradiological reports being non-specific. Conclusion Our study revealed a mixture of approaches to assessing and disclosing test results for MCI. Some clinicians consider the condition as a separate entity among neurodegenerative disorders whereas others find the term unhelpful due to its uncertain prognosis. Clinicians report a lack of specific and sensitive assessment methods for identifying the aetiology of MCI in clinical practice. Our study demonstrates a broad range of views and therefore variability in MCI risk disclosure in memory assessment services which may impact the management of individuals with MCI.

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The Therapeutic Benefits of Children’s Literature: Responding Through Making Art and Writing Stories

10.33015/dominican.edu/2022.at.02 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Janae Dueck

Keyword(s):

Assessment Tool ◽

Stimulus Card ◽

Therapeutic Benefit ◽

Emotional Content ◽

Future Research ◽

Therapy Assessment ◽

Children's Book ◽

Therapeutic Benefits ◽

Self Image ◽

Made In

This study explores the use of a children's book followed by the application of the Draw A Story (DAS) art therapy assessment tool by Rawley Silver (1988). The study takes place in three elementary school classrooms located in the greater Bay Area region. Previous literature addresses the historical uses of children’s books and their potential to offer therapeutic benefit to young readers. Through a quasi-experimental, one-group posttest only design, eighteen second to third grade level students were asked to reflect on a children’s book by writing a story of their own. Participants were between the ages of seven and nine, and all attended the same school. After choosing two DAS provided stimulus cards, participants drew images including the two cards and explained their images through a story with them in it as the main character. Quantitative data was collected and scored based on the three DAS scoring scales: Scale for Assessing Emotional Content, Scale for Assessing Self-Image, and Scale for Assessing Use of Humor. Results were categorized as expressing more positively themed, neutral themed or negatively themed content in the artwork and description of the story. Themes were compared to the themes presented in the children's book to assess for similarities. It was concluded that 64% of participants appeared to identify with a drawn subject who had a positive or aggressive self-image, with 28% presenting more negative or dark humor in emotional content. No significant findings were made in the similarities of the participants’ artwork and story to the themes in the children's book. Future research should inquire for direct examination of students’ art and stories made in response to a children's book without any additional stimulus card or assessment.

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