Art therapy delivered face-to-face, online, and in comparison to arts-based interventions

I am honoured to be writing this editorial as the new Editor-in-Chief (EiC), after almost five years of contributing to the journal’s editorial board as an Early Career Research Editor, Deputy Editor, and Editor-in-Chief Designate. This is one of my greatest accomplishments so far, and for this I am grateful to the continuous trust and support of our former Editor-in-Chief, Alex McDonald, and our outstanding editorial board team. I would also like to extend my thanks to the authors who trust their hard work to our journal, and our peer review network, who generously dedicate their time to improve the literature on art therapy evidence and practice.

I am also delighted to announce that I am stepping up alongside Dr Gary Christopher and Dr Vicky Armstrong as Co-Deputy Editors. Together, we are determined to raise the profile of the art therapy profession and to continue the success of the journal, which was established last year when our first impact factor was announced.

Last year we announced a special issue call on ‘Nature-based art therapy’, alongside Dr Pamela Whitaker and Dr Caroline Hickman as Guest Editors. We were delighted to receive a high number of excellent submissions, and we will be working hard over the next months on the shortlisting and peer review process for this special issue.

The next special issue has also been announced, and it is titled ‘Art Therapy in medical settings’, with Megan Tjasink and Dr Gehan Soosaipillai as Guest Editors. In this special issue, we welcome research, practice, and opinion submissions on any aspect of art therapy with patients or healthcare professionals within medical settings. The deadline for submissions (including artwork submission) is the 31st of March 2025. We also welcome applications for mentoring by sending a draft version of your article to the lead editor by 24th of November 2024. We are excited to read your submissions and bring this special issue to life.

In this current issue, we are bringing together five research papers and one practice paper. Interestingly, studies included in this issue have compared face-to-face to online art therapy, and art therapy with other art-based interventions, suggesting that art therapy was the preferrable treatment options, particularly for children, young people, and new parents’ mental health. However, more robust evidence is needed to validate such comparisons.

Experiences and impacts of visual art-based interventions on perinatal well-being: an integrative review

Harris et al. (2023) reviewed research on visual art-based interventions designed to support parents’ mental well-being during the first 1000 days after birth. Researchers searched through various databases and found 10 relevant studies focusing on art therapy and creative arts interventions. While both types of interventions showed benefits, art therapy had the most significant impacts on parents’ mental health, confidence, and parent-child bonding. Parents in art therapy sessions reported increased awareness of their mental health, improved self-esteem, and better emotional connections with their babies. Group-based art therapy also helped parents build friendships and reduce feelings of loneliness.

The study highlighted positive factors influencing parent participation, such as strong relationships with therapists and clear information. Challenges in sustaining impacts were noted for creative arts interventions compared to art therapy. The findings suggest that art therapy could be a valuable tool for supporting parents’ mental health, yet more high-quality research is needed to better understand its effectiveness. This study underscores the importance of art therapy to promote parental mental health during the critical perinatal period.

Art and other group therapies with adolescents in inpatient mental health care

Versitano et al. (2023) investigated the effectiveness of a diverse group therapy programme for young people in a hospital mental health unit. Researchers distributed surveys over four months in 2018 to gather feedback from participants. The results showed that activities such as creative games and art therapy were the most enjoyable for the young people, with art therapy being rated as the most helpful overall. On the other hand, verbal psychotherapy groups were met with less enthusiasm, as participants found them intimidating. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating creative elements into therapy programmes to enhance engagement and improve mental health outcomes for young people. By listening to the perspectives of the young people, the study suggests that mental health units can tailor their programmes to better meet their needs, resulting in more effective and collaborative treatment approaches. This research could guide future programmes in similar settings, promoting a more holistic and inclusive approach to mental health care.

Affect regulating art therapy for children and adolescents experiencing psychosocial problems

Bosgraaf et al. (2023) examined the application of the Affect regulating Art(s) Therapy(ies) (ArAT) programme, designed for children and adolescents with psychosocial issues. This programme aims to teach them how to manage their feelings better, ultimately reducing their emotional difficulties. The authors investigated whether the theoretical framework of three treatment phases – tension regulation, attention regulation, and affect regulation – is evident in practice. Film recordings of ArAT sessions were analysed, revealing consistent use of therapeutic actions across all phases, with tension and attention regulation actions being predominant. Surprisingly, the authors found that therapists often used techniques from all three phases throughout the sessions, without clear distinctions between them. Specifically, techniques to reduce tension and improve focus were used the most, while those focused on emotional regulation were used the least. This suggests that the programme's structured approach might not be as clear-cut in practice as originally thought. The study emphasises the importance of stress reduction throughout therapy and suggests that therapists should prioritise this aspect across all stages of treatment for young people facing emotional and psychosocial challenges.

Cutting and pasting in adults’ descriptions of experiences of secrets in childhood

Sela and Bat-Or (2023) delved into the experiences of adults who grew up in environments characterised by secrecy and concealment. Interviews following art therapy revealed the deep-seated impact of secrecy on participants’ lives. Themes of connection, disconnection, and integration emerged consistently across artworks and narratives. The study highlighted the difficulty participants faced in reconciling fragmented information and forming a coherent narrative of their experiences. The process of transitioning between different art forms allowed for the emergence of rich and nuanced insights into their psychological struggles. The findings highlight the profound effects of secrecy on individuals’ sense of self and relationships. In practical terms, this research suggests the potential of art therapy to enable people to articulate their experiences through metaphorical expressions. By offering a platform for creative expression and narrative construction, art therapy can facilitate healing and promote integration of past experiences.

A qualitative evaluation of an outdoor arts therapies group

Wright et al. (2023) explored the experiences of participants and therapists in an outdoor arts therapies group, examining both the benefits and challenges for adults with mental health issues in the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. Typically, arts therapies occur indoors, but there's been a recent trend toward outdoor sessions to harness the benefits of natural surroundings. After conducting semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, the study found that outdoor arts therapies is perceived to have a positive impact on mood and group cohesion. Nature played an active role in the sessions. Findings also highlighted potential sensory and psychological benefits of natural environments. For example, sensory stimulation of the surroundings prompted participants to look outside themselves as well as evoke positive associations. Challenges around accessibility, travel arrangements and weather conditions when working outdoors were also discussed. Wright et al. (2023) suggest that outdoor arts therapies can positively impact mental health and encourage further research to integrate quantitative data.

It’s all about the journey! An online museum-based recovery-oriented art psychotherapy group

In the only practice paper of this issue, Goodman-Casanova et al. (2023) describe an online art psychotherapy group for adults receiving care from a UK community mental health team. Over six weekly sessions, participants explored artworks from local museums to aid in their mental health recovery journey. Participants fed back that they experienced higher levels of wellbeing and improved recovery after each session. They particularly valued the sense of support provided by the group, although some wished for longer sessions. Approximately half of the participants preferred the online format over face-to-face meetings. Overall, service users expressed a better understanding of their recovery journey and improved emotional expression. Goodman-Casanova et al. (2023) conclude that this approach positively contributed to participants’ mental health recovery and suggest further research into online, museum-based, and recovery-oriented art therapy to support mental health recovery efforts.