Welcome to Volume 16, 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, theater, 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: “Meet Me in the Sand: Stories and Self-Expression in Sand Tray Work With Older Adults,” “Telehealth Interprofessional Education: Benefits, Desires, and Concerns of Counselor Trainees,” “Improv to Improve: The Impact of Improvisational Theater on Creativity, Acceptance, and Psychological Well-Being,” “College Student Mental Health in an Animal-Assisted Intervention Program: A Preliminary Study,” “Therapeutic Writing for Disordered Eating: A Systematic Review,” and “The Use of Humor in Psychotherapy: Views of Practicing Psychotherapists.” The Creating Space for Connection: Creative Interventions in Counseling column features activities for clinical practice: “Our Family is a Team: A Structural Family Therapy Tool for Counselors,” and “Using Sandtray as a Creative Supervision Tool.” The Creating Space for Connection: Creativity in the Classroom column features: “Constructing Personal Guiding Theory Using Visual Representation: An Innovative Pedagogical Strategy.” It is my hope that you find this issue enlightening and helpful to your work.