International Journal of Art Therapy

There is a long – standing relationship between art and medicine but during the 19th century the methodologies of art and science diverged, becoming separated into distinct cultural spheres (McMenamin, 2022). There is growing recognition within medicine that something valuable and important has, perhaps unnecessarily, been lost due to these silos which emerged as a side - effect of the advancement of medical science. This recognition is seen in medical education curricula and global growth of the Medical Humanities (Meakin & Kirklin, 2000). We have also seen steady growth in the use of art therapy for patient and staff benefit within medical settings. Research into the use of art therapy with patients receiving treatment within a variety of specialist medical settings (such as oncology, stroke, and burns units) is beginning to build a compelling body of evidence. We have also seen a marked increase in publications on the use of art therapy – based methods to support medical staff in the last 5 years (Tjasink et al., 2023), in line with recent global concern over the serious and growing problems of burnout and psycho-social distress faced by healthcare workers and healthcare systems (De Hert, 2020).

Submission Instructions

In this special issue, we welcome research, practice, and opinion submissions on the use of art therapy within medical settings.

We are looking for ethical, evidence-informed, original contributions, which foreground participant perspectives. Whilst some possible themes are outlined below, we welcome articles on any aspect of art therapy with patients or healthcare professionals within medical settings.

· Ward-based art therapy

· Adapting practice for medical contexts (e.g., Art therapy in Intensive Care Units (ICU), after surgery)

· Research or practice within a specialist medical area (e.g. haemato-oncology, difficult asthma, congenital heart disease)

· Art therapy for medical staff in the workplace

· Art therapy-based supervision and reflective practice for medical professionals

· Art therapy and Debrief

· Ethical or moral dilemmas

· Intervention development

· Theoretical approaches and evidence-informed models of practice

 

Note: When submitting your paper to ScholarOne, please select the "Special Issue Title: Art Therapy in Medical Settings”

The deadline for mentorship is 24/11/24 by emailing your draft article to the Lead Editor.

Deadlines for submissions: 1/03/2025 - 31/03/2025

Expected publication date: 01/03/2026

Instructions for AuthorsSubmit an Article