Cross-Cultural Use of Art Therapy and Implications for Expansion in the United States

Submitting Student(s)

Allayna Weber

Session Title

Poster Session 2

Faculty Mentor

Darren Ritzer, Ph.D.

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Art therapy is an expressive form of hands-on therapy used to treat individuals with mental disorders, help raise self-esteem, and increase emotional wellbeing. In the United States, art therapy is used, but not as frequently as typical talk therapy. This study analyzes art therapy in seventeen different countries in order to determine how the use of art therapy across cultures differs from current practices in the United States. With this information, techniques which may benefit the process of expansion in the U.S. can be better understood.Findings show that there are significant differences in art therapy practice across the globe, ranging from available training and education to state support and funding.Moreover, findings suggest that art therapy typically succeeds when culture is taken into account and applied to the creation process, when accessibility to art therapy is high, and when the given society recognizes the importance of the practice.

Honors Thesis Committee

Darren Ritzer, Ph.D., Sarah Reiland, Ph.D., Mike Sickels, Ph.D., Michael Lipscomb, Ph.D.

Course Assignment

PSYC 302 – Ritzer

Previously Presented/Performed?

Winthrop University Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors, Rock Hill, SC, April 2023.

Type of Presentation

Poster presentation

Start Date

15-4-2023 12:00 PM

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Apr 15th, 12:00 PM

Cross-Cultural Use of Art Therapy and Implications for Expansion in the United States

Art therapy is an expressive form of hands-on therapy used to treat individuals with mental disorders, help raise self-esteem, and increase emotional wellbeing. In the United States, art therapy is used, but not as frequently as typical talk therapy. This study analyzes art therapy in seventeen different countries in order to determine how the use of art therapy across cultures differs from current practices in the United States. With this information, techniques which may benefit the process of expansion in the U.S. can be better understood.Findings show that there are significant differences in art therapy practice across the globe, ranging from available training and education to state support and funding.Moreover, findings suggest that art therapy typically succeeds when culture is taken into account and applied to the creation process, when accessibility to art therapy is high, and when the given society recognizes the importance of the practice.