Girija Kaimal

Drexel University | DU · Department of Creative Arts Therapies

Burn injuries necessitate resource-intensive multidisciplinary care and psychosocial support. Incorporating art therapy in burn centers could enhance patient and provider care. However, research on the impact and reception of art therapy within the context of burn care is scarce. A doctoral dissertation study introduced art therapy intervention for...

Introduction Studies suggest a relationship between the emotional evocativeness of visual imagery and viewer responses, however, there is limited understanding of these associations, especially as they relate to viewers’ personal experiences of adversities. Methods In this exploratory study, we examined the relationship between the visual content...

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a heterogeneous condition that affects many civilians and military service members. Lack of engagement, high dropout rate, and variable response to psychotherapy necessitates more compelling and accessible treatment options that are based on sound neuroscientific evidence-informed decision-making. Art therap...

Operations Desert Shield and Storm occurred over 30 years ago, yet many of those who were deployed continue to experience chronic and debilitating symptoms, now recognized as Gulf War Illness (GWI). While efforts have been made to explore clinical treatments for GWI, misperceptions and skepticism about its complex nature and a lack of consensus on...

Objective: To assess the effects of group tele-exercise participation on physical activity (PA) determinants and behavior as identified by social cognitive theory (SCT) in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Design: This clinically registered non-randomized trial [NCT05360719] used a single group parallel mixed methods design. Quantitativ...

Participatory research can be used in conjunction with quantitative, other qualitative, and mixed methods research methods to collaboratively address priority global health issues that are greatly influenced by social norms. Social norms have been identified as key components of deeply held beliefs that perpetuate as well as change detrimental heal...

Background and purpose: More than 50% of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) report no regular exercise due to numerous barriers to participation. Tele-exercise services offer viable solutions to reduce barriers. However, limited evidence for SCI-specific tele-exercise programs is available. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feas...

Introduction Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease. Complementary and alternative therapies are increasingly utilized to address its complex multisystem symptomatology. Art therapy involves motoric action and visuospatial processing while promoting broad biopsychosocial wellness. The process involves hedoni...

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of facilitating four sessions of art therapy intervention with a primary focus on implementation and acceptability. The exploratory aim was on assessing the impact of art therapy on self-reported outcomes on anxiety and mood among 5 individuals (aged 18+ years) hospitalized for burn injuries and to un...

Lifestyle physical activity following spinal cord injury (SCI) is critical for functional independence, mental wellness, and social participation, yet nearly 50% of individuals with SCI report no regular exercise. The objective of this study was to better understand factors leading to this participation gap by capturing the physical activity perspe...

In this article, we provide an overview of the literature on contributions of art making and medical art therapy for patients with burn injuries. The potential value of art therapy in addressing the complex physical and psychosocial needs of burn patients is discussed through examination of 7 peer-reviewed articles. Two case examples of burn surviv...

In this chapter, we provided an overview of approaches to research in art therapy in the past, present, and future. Over the past decades since the discipline was established, the conceptualization of art therapy research has expanded from descriptive case studies to empirical studies, arts-based knowledge, and community-based research (Kaimal, 201...

Depression experienced by older adults is proving an increasing global health burden, with rates as high as 27% in the USA. This is likely to increase in coming years as the number and proportion of older adults in the global population rises. Therefore, it is imperative that the effectiveness of approaches to the prevention and treatment of depres...

There is limited research on the health implications of Indigenous and traditional art practices. This study investigated the therapeutic value and meaning of these practices and their use in art therapy. Twenty-one art therapists who identified as belonging to or working closely with a culturally diverse or Indigenous community provided insights a...

Experiential classes that use dance/movement as the primary means of learning are universal in dance/movement therapy (DMT) graduate education programs in the United States. Yet, there have been no studies to determine what competencies develop in movement based experiential classes in DMT education. This is a report of a qualitative study that use...

Palliative care is provided by an interdisciplinary team, including physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and other disciplines based on need. Music therapists and art therapists are becoming increasingly available to palliative care teams and are advancing the diverse and unique clinical services available to...

Highlights •A conceptual framework for art therapy with pediatric burns for three stages of burn treatment- critical, acute, and rehabilitation is presented. •Framework is based on narrative synthesis of research on the psychosocial needs of children with burn injuries, art therapy literature on pediatric burn patients, and medical settings. •Art...

Emerging adults face significant risk of experiencing mental health problems, especially since most lifetime mental problems have first onset by age 24. Despite the pervasiveness of these issues, emerging adults face barriers in receiving help including stigma surrounding help-seeking behavior and negative attitudes about perceived usefulness of th...

A within-subjects experimental design examined differences in functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) assessment of prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation with two virtual reality (VR) drawing conditions (rote tracing and creative self-expression) with and without a fragrance stimulus. Participants were healthy adults and included 18 women, 6 men...

In recent years, HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) have become more common as people with HIV live longer due to advances in anti-retroviral medications. The symptoms of HAND are often associated with mild-to-severe cognitive impairment and depression, which may lead to burden and burnout among the certified nursing assistants (CNAs) o...

Empirical studies in the creative arts therapies (CATs; i.e., art therapy, dance/movement therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, psychodrama, and poetry/bibliotherapy) have grown rapidly in the last 10 years, documenting their positive impact on a wide range of psychological and physiological outcomes (e.g., stress, trauma, depression, anxiety, and...

The aim of this study was to evaluate a school-based Community Based Instruction program for students with autism in the elementary school. Developed and coordinated by an occupational therapist, the program’s mission is to develop work behaviors, job skills, social skills, career interests and self-determination skills by generalizing knowledge fr...

Attending to the psychosocial needs of pediatric patients, families and health care providers (HCPs) is critical to the delivery of personalized medical care. Art therapy in this context has been found to be a source of holistic psychosocial support for pediatric hematology and oncology care. Interviews of 21 HCPs in the United States were conducte...

Aims Graphic elicitation is an emergent data gathering approach in qualitative research. An overview of the development and application of a collage based graphic elicitation method in gaining greater understanding about the experience of Gulf War Illness (GWI) is presented in this paper. The unique contributions of this method are also discussed....

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate what resources recent refugees to the USA tap into and how collaborative expressive movements were experienced with regard to coping and resourcing, and to derive a theoretical model that would inform the use of dance/movement therapy and other holistic treatment modalities with refugees. Design/...

Background: Evidence suggests that men can play a key role in influencing maternal health behaviours, potentially affecting birthing outcomes. However, that role may not be fostered in safety net programmes like the Special Supplemental Nutrition programme for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), a programme for which men do not qualify. Purpose: Th...

Art therapy has been found to help Veterans with symptoms of post-traumatic stress. There is however limited scholarship on the differences in outcomes based on dosage (short-term vs. long-term treatment) especially for active duty military service members (SMs). This mixed methods program evaluation study examined feedback from SMs on their experi...

Aims In this pilot mixed-methods study, we examined the participants experiences of engaging in virtual drawing tasks and the impact of an olfactory stimulus (calming fragrance blend) on outcomes of affect, stress, self-efficacy, anxiety, creative agency, and well-being (satisfaction with life). Methods This study used a parallel mixed-methods, si...

Background: Although the Gulf War occurred almost 30 years ago, the chronic symptoms of Gulf War illness (GWI), which include respiratory, gastrointestinal, and skin problems, as well as fatigue, pain, and mood alterations, currently affect over 200,000 veterans. Meanwhile, healthcare providers lack clear guidelines about how to best treat this ill...

In this paper, we present a review of research on the role of traditional and indigenous forms of visual artistic practice in promoting physical health and psychosocial well-being, particularly as it relates to the discipline of art therapy. Using extant literature we present an overview of how art making has historically had a therapeutic role in...

Art therapy has traditionally been used as a treatment approach but it can also be applied successfully as a clinical behavioral health assessment tool in the care of military service members suffering from the effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and operational stressors. This observational study examined patterns of associations between visua...

The development of doctoral education in art therapy is essential due to the increasing demand for research and evidence-based practice. This demand warrants the allocation of resources to prepare art therapy researchers or stewards of the profession charged with generating a strong evidence-base to sustain and advance the field. The American Art T...

Aims: This mixed methods quasi-experimental study examined the outcomes of a brief art therapy-based and a narrative interview-based intervention to address the psychosocial needs of home hospice caregivers. Methods: Participants (n = 14) chose to participate either in a narrative interview (n = 7) or arts-based interview (n = 7). Standardised self...

A cancer diagnosis can be extremely stressful and life-altering for patients. Chronically high levels of stress can increase inflammation and affect the progression of the cancer. Psychosocial interventions could reduce stress and address cancer patients’ emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs. This mixed-methods pilot study compared 2 singl...

Six art therapists belonging to the Asian Art Therapy Network give their personal reflections on the International Art Therapy Practice Research Conference, which took place in London, 2019. In common is the importance given to collaboration, cooperation and developing a sense of community.

This chapter provides an overview of processes and outcomes of art therapy using both personal experiences and professional examples of art-making. Along with acknowledging scholarship on the purpose and impacts of visual art-making, the focus of this chapter is specifically on the components of art therapy, including art-making, the art product, t...

In this viewpoint paper, we present a conceptual framework for research on art therapy with children/adolescents diagnosed with cancer or blood disorders, their families, and healthcare providers. The framework was developed based on the authors’ extensive clinical experience with the pediatric hematology/oncology population, observations of mechan...

This article presents a framework for art therapy practice and research called Adaptive Response Theory (ART), founded on constructs from evolutionary biology and human development. The theory is based on human responses to threats to well-being (bio-physiological and psycho-social-spiritual), as well as, how art making and imaginative processes al...

Virtual reality (VR) therapies have been used in health and mental health care settings. The applicability of VR expressive tools has not yet been examined adequately in the creative arts therapies. This pilot qualitative study reports on 17 participants’ experiences with VR art-making tools to determine its relevance to art therapy practice and re...

Purpose: Caring for cancer patients can be highly stressful for both family caregivers and oncology professionals. These high levels of stress can lead to poorer patient outcomes and increased risk of health problems for the caregivers themselves. Art therapy may help these caregivers as art-making can be a relaxing and enjoyable form of self-expr...

Advances in the field of neuroscience can be used to support scientific research and best practices in the profession of art therapy. This article provides a general overview of how neuroscience informs art therapy by providing an overview of neuroscience research in art therapy and offering practical applications for adopting a neuroscience-inform...

Active duty military service members Post traumatic stress Traumatic brain injury Art therapy A B S T R A C T Background: Program evaluations can serve as a doorway to research in the creative arts therapies. This study provides findings from analyses of participant feedback on short-and long-term art therapy services for military service members w...

Advances in both military and medical technology have led to decreased mortality rates among military service personnel in the United States, yet have led to an increase in occurrences of traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder in military service personnel, often resulting in prolonged unresolved symptoms. The purpose of this a...

Depression experienced by older adults is proving an increasing global health burden, with rates generally 7% and as high as 27% in the USA. This is likely to significantly increase in coming years as the number and proportion of older adults in the population rises all around the world. Therefore, it is imperative that the effectiveness of approac...

Background: Therapeutic writing has been shown to improve both physical health and emotional well-being. This paper examines the usefulness of clinical notes as a data source, and presents two different analyses of individual clinical notes of therapeutic writing group sessions: analysis performed by a person and analysis by a computer-based progra...

This study involved a thematic analysis of montage paintings and of related clinical records of 240 active-duty military service members collected during their art therapy treatment for traumatic brain injury and underlying psychological health concerns, including post-traumatic stress, at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed Nat...

Objectives The study aimed tocompare recurring themes in the artistic expression of military service members (SMs) with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury and psychological health (PH) conditions with measurable psychiatric diagnoses. Affective symptoms and struggles related to verbally expressing information can limit co...

Background: Coloring books for adults have become a ubiquitous presence in retail outlets worldwide and in the visual cultural landscape. The goal of this study was to determine differences in outcomes between art therapist-facilitated open studio and individual coloring. Methods: The study used a within-subjects experimental design. Healthy adult...

This paper provides an overview of short and long-term art therapy treatment approaches, used in the USA, for military service members with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. The described clinical approaches are based on the theoretical foundations and the art therapists' experiences in providing individualised care for the...

We propose a leadership framework for the creative art therapies (CATs) as a means to affect the sociopolitical contexts of our clinical and scholarly practices. The new model of facilitative leadership includes 3 aspects: developing the self, developing others, and envisioning a creative and just future.

Visual self-expression helps with attention and improves health and well-being. Few studies have examined reward pathway activation during different visual art tasks. This pilot study is the first to examine brain activation (e.g., medial region, anterior prefrontal cortex) via functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during three distinct dra...

Active-duty military service members have a significant risk of sustaining physical and psychological trauma resulting in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Within an interdisciplinary treatment approach at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, service members participated in mask making during art therapy...

This article presents findings from the evaluation of a year-long urban-school arts programme called the Art of Growing Leaders (AGL). The goals of AGL were to support youth engagement in schools, enhance resilience, improve self-awareness and interpersonal relationships, and support leadership development through selfexpression in visual arts, poe...

Background: This study investigated the impact of visual art-making on self-reported positive and negative affect and perceived self-efficacy. Study participants included 39 healthy adults aged 18 to 59 years, including 33 women and 6 men. Methods: The study used a mixed methods quasi-experimental (pre–post measurements, no control group) design. T...

Meta-synthesis refers to a range of approaches by which existing qualitative studies in healthcare can be reviewed and compared. There is increasing use of meta-synthesis to ensure the clinical applicability of findings from qualitative studies, in healthcare generally, and in the creative arts therapies specifically. Qualitative method research ca...

Context Policymakers have increasingly advocated for incentive-based approaches for improving urban schools. Purpose of the Study Few studies have examined the implementation of incentive based approaches in the urban charter school context. This paper presents research findings from a 4-year longitudinal study of the implementation of a comprehen...

This brief report presents a review of the literature on health implications of crafting practices, as well as secondary analysis of data from the National Endowment for the Arts’ Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. The secondary data analysis focuses on trends in crafting practices in the United States. The findings indicate a greater prev...

This quasi-experimental study investigated the impact of visual art making on the cortisol levels of 39 healthy adults. Participants provided saliva samples to assess cortisol levels before and after 45 minutes of art making. Participants also provided written responses about the experience at the end of the session. Results indicate that art makin...

Art therapy is increasingly being accepted as a form of complementary and integrative care for military veterans affected by trauma and injuries in the line of duty. Less is known, however, about the applications of art therapy for co-morbid traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, most studies to date ha...

In this viewpoint, the author shares some experiences of living in the United States for the past 16 years and explores the uses of art and narratives in uncovering bias, illustrating lived experience, and informing research enterprises. In addition, contradictions, vulnerabilities, and complexities that underlie evolving constructions of culture,...

This viewpoint highlights how program evaluation can support and encourage research in the creative arts therapies. The arts therapies are often constrained by insufficient funding sources as well as a limited number of researchers who conduct systematic studies. Program evaluation has the potential to help practitioners conduct systematic data col...