84 • Introduction to Art Therapy
dictated aloud, a young child’s drawing is more integrated than when it is requested in a
global fashion—that is, when the child is simply asked to “draw a person” (Golomb, 1974).
The Art Product in Evaluation
There are many ways of assessing the effectiveness of work in art therapy, both directly and
indirectly. One that is unique involves the art product—which is available for reflection or
measurement, like a taped or transcribed verbal interview. It is possible to evaluate single
products, a sequence of work from a session, art done during some period of time, or art
produced over the entire course of therapy.
The art can be evaluated by the therapist alone or with the patient. For more objectivity,
someone not involved in the process can assess the product(s). The art can be looked at in a
global, phenomenological way. It is also possible to assess broadly descriptive areas like sub-
ject matter or style, using some sort of rating manual and scale. Finally, the art can be assessed
by measuring such quantifiable variables as details, placement, composition, color usage, or
specific content items. You will find examples of each of these in Chapter 6, “Assessment.”
The Art Process in Evaluation
Unlike verbal psychotherapy, which is often studied through analyses of audiotapes or tran-
scriptions of what is said, art therapy involves not only the product, but also the dynamically
significant creative process. This can be studied “live” by having observers behind a one-way
mirror or in the art therapy space, as in the pilot study at the School for Blind Children
(Figure 4.6) described in Chapter 6. It can also be viewed and reviewed through videotaped
recordings, which can capture the much greater amount of movement and action involved
in art (vs. verbal) therapy.
Like analyses of the art, observational possibilities range from global judgments to the
identification of specific behaviors. As with products, investigations that aim at quantifica-
tion usually involve rating scales of some sort. Whether the researcher is measuring what
they say they are (validity), and whether the scale is dependable (reliable), are questions of
Figure 4.6 A blind child in an art assessment.