Page 129 - ART FORM AND MENTAL HEALTH - Ingrid Pénzes

practice. The majority of these art therapists practice in the Netherlands. Although we did include a few art therapists from other countries such as Israel, Finland, Germany, the US and UK to contrast findings, further generalizability of art therapists’ perspectives may need to be checked through further research.
CONCLUSION
This is the first study to reliably operationalize formal elements based on the art therapy literature and demonstrate that these elements are related to mental health. Numerous questions remain unanswered and require further research. Even though it is methodologically challenging to study art and the art-making process in relation to mental health, this study highlights the possibilities for future research. Art products seem to have diagnostic value and may add to clients’ verbal expression and indicate their potential to benefit from therapy.
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