Welcome to Volume 14, Issue 1 of the Journal of Creativity in Mental Health (JCMH). JCMH is the official journal for the Association for Creativity in Counseling (ACC). This journal is designed to bring our readership cutting-edge scholarship that promotes growth-fostering relationships and enhances relational development within a diverse society. ACC was established for professionals and students interested in creative and complementary approaches to counseling practice and counselor education.
Authors represent the diverse mental health disciplines of counseling, psychology, expressive therapies, psychiatry, and social work. JCMH is particularly interested in receiving submissions that discuss creative ways to facilitate growth-fostering connections and relational development. JCMH also encourages further understanding of diversity in professional practice. These interventions may include music, literature, theatre, drama, art, dance, energy psychologies, and other complementary and alternative therapies.
The following articles are included in this issue, offering a wide variety of innovative topics: “A Pilot Study of Emotion Regulation Strategies in a Psychodrama Group of Psychiatric Patients,” “Understanding the Experiences of Survivors of a Loss by Suicide: A Photovoice Study,” “Art-Making and its Interface With Dissociative Identity Disorder: No Words That Didn’t Fit,” “Book Club Groups to Aid Relational Connection and Trust Among Addicted Trauma Survivors,” and “Performance Involvement, Identity, and Emotion Among Cisgender Male Drag Queens.”
The Creating Space for Connection: Creative Interventions in Counseling column features activities for clinical practice: “Creative Culturally Considerate Counseling Interventions for Pediatric Oncology Patients Undergoing Treatment,” and “Creative Approaches to Address Online Dating in Counseling.”
The Creating Space for Connection: Creativity in the Classroom column features “Using Expressive Arts in Online Education to Identify Feelings,” “Using Photography to Enhance Development of Self, Professional Identity, and Multicultural Awareness,” “Using Wordle in Addictions Education,” and “Preparing Counselors to Work with Refugees: Integration of Experiential Activities.”
It is my hope that you find this issue enlightening and helpful to your work.