Jacqueline P. Jones’s research while affiliated with Fort Belvoir Community Hospital and other places

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 experiences of art therapy in an integrative medical care center after 3 weeks of group therapy and at the end of treatment (average time of 2 years). Data included participant demographics, feedback surveys, and narrative responses from SMs experiences of art therapy. The results indicate that longer-term art therapy resulted in improved perceived outcomes compared with the short term 3-week intervention. SMs with longer time in service reported the most improved self-reported outcomes. Women SMs expressed more positive emotions during their art making. Specific themes that were effectively addressed through art therapy included frustration tolerance, grief and loss, emotion regulation, personal insight, resiliency, and trauma processing. SMs also highlighted the unique and transformative role of the relationship with the therapist with alleviation of symptoms. The findings suggest benefits to long-term art therapy including improved ability in SMs to be aware of their symptoms and communicate effectively with others.

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 with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: Data for the study included feedback surveys from 204 service members who received art therapy services as part of treatment at an integrative care setting. Results: The results indicate that long-term art therapy resulted in higher satisfaction with treatment. Art therapy helped most with developing a sense of self after injury, experiencing positive emotions, processing trauma, and reducing feelings of guilt, grief, and loss. There were no statistically significant differences in outcomes based on rank or severity of TBI, but art therapy services were found to be related to improved symptoms for service members with longer times in service. Implications: The feedback from evaluation helps identify potential areas for further research on how art therapy addresses issues of identity, time in service and experiences of emotions as a result of post-traumatic stress and TBI. Evaluation provides directions for further clinical treatment, and yields data on improving quality of care.

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 article is to illustrate the implementation and effects of an art therapy program on military service personnel attending an outpatient military treatment facility. To this end, we present case reports of three military service personnel diagnosed with comorbid traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress and describe their participation in the art therapy program at Intrepid Spirit One, the National Intrepid Center of Excellence satellite site at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. Through discussion of the therapist's subjective observations, as well as the patients’ visual art productions and their personal verbal and written reflections on their experiences in art therapy and, eventually, on community art programs, this article highlights how art therapy was used to treat military trauma as part of a comprehensive integrative treatment program. The cases highlight how participation in a long-term, stage-based, structured art therapy program (through both group and individual sessions), enabled military service personnel to identify and articulate the complexity of their lingering trauma symptoms, fostering improvement in their communication with other treatment providers and loved ones, which, in turn, led to improvements in their overall quality of life.

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 unique needs of the patient population. The art therapy models and directives are designed to be more therapist-led in the short-term model, moving on to an increasingly patient-led format in the long-term treatment model. The overall objectives of art therapy are: to support identity integration, externalisation, and authentic self-expression; to promote group cohesion; and to process grief, loss, and trauma. In addition, programme evaluation is used in both settings as a means to understand participants' experiences and the perceived value of art therapy. ARTICLE HISTORY