A Task-oriented Approach to Art Therapy in Trauma Treatment

Art therapists who work with trauma survivors use diverse methods. Some provide minimal guidelines within which clients establish their own themes and artmaking processes; others offer more structured formats to enhance the potential for affective, behavioral, and cognitive adaptation to trauma. In this article, the authors propose the use of a carefully chosen mix of expressive, narrative, explorative, management, and integrative art interventions to address six basic trauma-focused tasks: safety planning, self-management, telling the trauma story, grieving losses, self-concept and worldview revision, and selfand relational-development. Suggestions for working with adult clients, along with specific examples of art interventions, are presented.