title: Evaluating Art Therapy to Heal the Effects of Trauma Among Refugee Youth: The Burma Art Therapy Program Evaluation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Art therapy uses the creative process to encourage personal growth and alleviate symptoms of mental illness. The Art Therapy Institute provides programs for refugee adolescents from Burma to decrease their trauma-related symptoms. This article describes and discusses the methods and findings from an evaluation of this program. The challenges of assessing art therapy with this population and assessment tool gaps are explored and suggestions for future evaluations discussed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four validated clinical assessment tools were administered to 30 participants at baseline and follow-up to measure symptoms of anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems. Focus group discussions with clinicians were used to assess the evaluation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nearly all participants had experienced one or more traumatic events. At baseline, results showed a higher prevalence of depression than national rates among adolescents. Follow-up results showed improvements in anxiety and self-concept. Qualitative findings suggest that specific benefits of art therapy were not adequately captured with the tools used.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This evaluation showed some effects of art therapy; however, symptom-focused assessment tools are not adequate to capture clients' growth resulting from the traumatic experience and this unique intervention. Future evaluations will benefit by using an art-based assessment and measuring posttraumatic growth.
authors.affiliation: 1 North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Cassandra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.affiliation: 2 Snow Camp, North Carolina, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Rose
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Watson-Ormond
authors.affiliation: 3 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Lacey
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: English
authors.affiliation: 4 Art Therapy Institute, Carrboro, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Hillary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rubesin
authors.affiliation: 5 Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.affiliation: 4 Art Therapy Institute, Carrboro, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Linton
authors.affiliation: 6 American Institutes for Research, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amolegbe
authors.affiliation: 3 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Agnew-Brune
authors.affiliation: 3 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eng
keywords: child/adolescent health; community intervention; community organization; evaluation methods; mental health; minority health; outcome evaluation