Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

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.