Learning from a Group Art Therapy Intervention for University Student Veterans

ABSTRACT

This study examined the meaning of an eight-week group art therapy intervention with student veterans in a large public university in California. We focused on grounded theory methodology, to evaluate the meaning of the program for participants while bringing their art and narratives as active contributors to the formation of the theoretical frame relevant to their unique lived experience. A systemic analysis integrated clinical notes from the art therapist facilitating the group, pre- and post-intervention semi-structured interviews with all participants, and a systematic exploration of participants’ art responses. Findings indicate that the group art therapy intervention reduced isolation and increased overall well-being while supporting the veterans’ need to process trauma and grief through visual narratives and identity formation. The findings also suggest the need to reconsider the timing of trauma processing and the potential benefit of forming groups based on types of trauma experiences and gender-specific needs.

KEYWORDS:

• Art therapy
• student veterans
• group intervention
• grounded theory
• narratives
• creativity in counseling

Acknowledgments

This research was made possible through the fruitful collaboration of The UCR Veterans’ Affair Center and the Helen B. Landgarten Art Therapy Clinic at LMU, and through generous donations making these services possible. The research team would like to thank Tamara Dee Thacker and Katherine Stavropoulos for their assistance and partnership. For more information about this research, please contact the first two authors and for questions related to other services offered by the Helen B. Landgarten Art Therapy Clinic – please reach out to Prof. Jessica Bianchi, Director of the HBL Clinic

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the The Helen B. Landgarten Art Therapy Clinic [N/A]; University of California, Riverside's Veterans' Services [N/A].