Date of Award

Spring 5-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

EVMS School of Health Professions

Program/Concentration

Art Therapy & Counseling

Committee Director

Sarah Deaver

Committee Member

Michael Stutts

Abstract

The Art Therapy-Projective Imagery Assessment (AT-PIA) is a direct-observation clinical interview consisting of six drawings. It is administered by art therapists to children, adolescents, and adults to identify developmental level, areas of clinical concern, strengths, defenses, diagnoses, and potential for engaging with art processes and materials in a therapeutic relationship. Although assessment remains a research priority for art therapists, paucity exists in the literature regarding art therapy clinical interviews.

This qualitative multiple case study explored the experiences of five adult standardized patients, recruited from the Sentara Center for Simulation and Immersive Learning. Participants were individually administered the AT-PIA and then interviewed about their internal thought processes during the experience. Data consisted of transcribed interviews and photographs of participants’ AT-PIA drawings.

Data analysis yielded three overarching themes: Individual Cognitive Approaches to the AT-PIA, Shared Experience of Drawing Tasks, and Media Use. The first theme reflected the finding that participants demonstrated characteristic cognitive operations regardless of drawing task. For example, one participant employed dichotomous reasoning during each task. The second theme reflected the areas of convergence in which most or all participants shared thoughts and reactions about a particular task or the assessment as a whole. The final theme, Media Use, described the common means in which the media encouraged or dissuaded expressivity and control and participants’ task responses.

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DOI

10.25777/txgz-m638

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