The Effectiveness of a Group Art Therapy Project in the Treatment of Latency Age Boys
Graduation Date
Summer 1989
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy
Degree Granting Institution
Notre Dame de Namur University
Program Name
Art Therapy
Abstract
The purpose of this paper was to examine the usefulness of an art therapy project in a group of latency age boys. The art project consisted of the construction of 3-dimensional islands made of paiper mache, creating an "island world" on one large piece of cardboard that was painted blue to represent the ocean. The project's utility in revealing diagnostic information and subsequent intervention opportunities, is discussed in this paper.
The group discussed in this paper was composed of 4 boys, 11 to 12 years old, a female art therapist, a male psychologist and a female art therapist intern. Throughout the course of this therapeutic project many important psychodynamic issues emerged and they are addressed in this paper.