Digital Art Therapy with Children in a Community Mental Health Agency

Download or read book Digital Art Therapy with Children in a Community Mental Health Agency written by Ashley L. Tilberg and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Digital art media was applied to the practice of group art therapy with children between the ages of 9 and 13. The participants were clients of a mental health agency that provided services for community counseling. Each participant was diagnosed with a mood or behavioral mental health disorder. A total of six 90-minute group sessions occurred. Participants used touch technology to create artwork through various applications on individual iPads. This was a qualitative research study in which data was collected through observational and content analysis. Outcomes of self-esteem, peer socialization, and art content were considered in the data analysis. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential benefits of using digital art materials in the practice of art therapy. Additionally, potential advantages of utilizing art therapy in a community mental health setting were considered. This study contributed to the growing body of research on the use of digital media in the field of art therapy, while exploring the use of digital art therapy with the digital generation. This research may expand the application of digital art therapy to a myriad of youth mood and behavioral mental health populations.