OOIR: Observatory of International Research

Papers

(The TQCC of Arts in Psychotherapy is 4. The table below lists those papers that are above that threshold based on CrossRef citation counts [max. 250 papers]. The publications cover those that have been published in the past four years, i.e., from 2021-09-01 to 2025-09-01.)

Article	Citations
Arts psychotherapies for adolescents with mental health difficulties: A systematic review and logic model of mechanisms of action and outcomes	30
The experience of school-based dramatherapists: Understanding the barriers and facilitators of UK school-based dramatherapy to inform better implementation	30
Psychological symptoms and the use of shadow miniatures in sandplay therapy	26
How to use theories to explain effects of the creative arts therapies: The case of Polyvagal Theory	23
Beneficial and harmful music for substance use disorder clients: Implementation of the musical presentation technique	21
Clarifying the Creative level of the Expressive Therapies Continuum: A different dimension	21
Integrating the embodiment-projection-role paradigm to develop and implement a two-hour-workshop for stress management among nurses	17
The use of music therapy to address psychosocial needs of informal caregivers: An integrative review	17
Group music therapy for Chinese doctoral student mothers in Korea: A qualitative case study	16
Psychodrama’s effects on PTSD, depression, anxiety, traumatic grief, prolonged grief disorder, and spontaneity: A mixed methods study in inpatient addiction treatment	16
Korean dance/movement therapists’ clinical experiences working with individuals with developmental disabilities: Phenomenological study	15
Open studio therapeutic aspects as experienced by adolescents in a psychiatric day treatment unit: A qualitative analysis	15
“Time for Tony the Turtle”: Experiences with the use of a hand puppet in a program for young children in domestic violence shelters	15
Move freely! – A theoretical overview of the mechanism of movement improvisation	13
The creative arts therapies and the climate crisis: Toward a framework for intentional engagement	13
Decolonizing internal and external borders: Reflections on therapeutic engagements with asylum seekers	12
Arts therapists’ perceptions of working in educational settings in youth psychiatric wards	11
Future time perspectives of older adults as reflected through digital photocollage	11
Qualifying public perceptions of art therapy: A mixed methods study of community discussion forums	11
Acknowledgement to Reviewers	10
Arts therapies and people with visual impairment: A scoping review	10
Music improvisation enhances neutral verbal and visual memory in musicians and non-musicians alike	10
The Parent–Child Movement Scale (PCMS): Observing emotional facets of mother–child relationships through joint dance	10
Drama therapists’ attitudes and perspectives regarding dis/ability: A community survey	9
Explanatory sequential descriptive analysis of music therapists’ clinical practice for individuals with eating disorders	9

The impact of group art therapy in post-acute cancer care: A longitudinal qualitative study	9
What does the literature teach us about research, theory, and the practice of art therapy for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities? A scoping review	8
The impact of systemic language in music therapy and western healthcare systems: A Canadian perspective	8
How health-focused choirs adapted to the virtual world during the COVID-19 pandemic – An international survey	8
Identifying the mechanisms of poetry therapy and associated effects on participants: A synthesised review of empirical literature	8
Editorial Board	8
Loss, adaptation and growth: The experiences of creative arts therapists during the Covid-19 pandemic	8
Moving together with you: Bodily expression of attachment	8
The change in aesthetic experience and empathic concern predicts theory of mind ability: Evidence from drama improvisation training	8
Group tele-art therapy intervention in women undergoing in vitro fertilization: A randomized control study	8
“After the Tempest”: Assessing audience response through Playback Theatre	7
An overview of historical and contemporary perspectives in art therapy in Spain: A bibliometric analysis of Spanish art therapy research	7
Editorial Board	7
Brain activation in response to art-based tasks using diverse materials based on the Expressive Therapy Continuum (ETC)	7
Music therapy and silence – Silence in music therapy. A systematic review	7
Reducing social anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty in adolescents with improvisational theater	7
Creative arts intervention to reduce burnout and decrease psychological distress in healthcare professionals: A qualitative analysis	7
North American drama therapists’ attitudes toward research	7
Psychosocial benefits of engaging in heritage arts practices in art therapy	7
Case study of therapist-client co-creation for the treatment of relational trauma in children	7
Do we see you? A systematic review of diversity representation in art therapy research conducted between 2010-2020	7
Development of a music therapy micro-intervention for stress reduction	7
Audio analysis reveals mutual associations between clients’ and therapists’ vocal timbres in Guided Imagery and Music sessions	6
Promoting social-emotional skills and reducing behavioural problems in children through group psychomotor therapy: A randomized controlled trial	6
Dramatherapy for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic integrative review	6
Art therapy as a bridge to expand burn care beyond surgery: Providers’ perspectives in an inpatient burn center	6
Decolonizing research: Response art as an arts-based analysis research tool	6
Editorial Board	6
Perceived effects of drama therapy in people diagnosed with personality disorders: A qualitative study	6
A theoretical model of emotional processing in visual artmaking and art therapy	6
The effectiveness of group art therapy in a clinically heterogenous sample: Randomized controlled trial	6
Editorial Board	5
The effects of sandplay therapy on the limbic system and prefrontal cortex in women with generalized anxiety disorder	5
Increased functional connectivity in military service members presenting a psychological closure and healing theme in art therapy masks	5
MacKenzie and Livesley on Stage: Group Development through Psychotherapeutic Playback Theatre	5
Effects of music therapy on the subjective well-being of women with fibromyalgia: A quasi-experimental study	5
Therapist perceived active ingredients of school-based dramatherapy for children and young people with emotional distress	5
Music in the moment: The use of a musical intervention to impact state experiences	5
Modified amusement park technique with a SUD population in a residential setting	5
Analysis of the body of literature based on a new drama therapy literature database	5
Art therapy as a treatment for adults with learning disabilities who are experiencing mental distress: A configurative systematic review with narrative synthesis	5
The expressive therapies continuum and mentalization-based art therapy for individuals diagnosed with a cluster B/C personality disorder: A successful marriage!	5
Aesthetic distance: Conceptualization and practical use	5
A mixed methods exploration of a pilot photo-reflection intervention for enhancing coping and well-being during COVID-19	5
Integrating social arts into creative arts therapies training: Teachers' and students' perspectives	5
Committing to arts-based palliative and bereavement care: Evaluation of students’ experiences in an online course	5
A year later: The pain protocol study findings and memory reconsolidation factors	5
Community-based experiences during professional training: Successes and challenges	4
Physiological measurements and emotional experiences of drawing and clay forming	4
Exploring factors affecting art therapists’ intention to embrace virtual reality using UTAUT1	4

Art and emotion processing among arab breast cancer survivors: An exploratory study	4
'These women’s voices': The experiences of homeless women who participated in the "Halalu" women’s choir	4
The effects of psychodrama on the emotional awareness and communication skills of psychiatric nurses: A randomized controlled trial	4
Commentary: Troubling care	4
Joint sand painting as a potential intervention technique in parent-child art psychotherapy: The subjective experiences of mothers and children in a non-therapeutic setting	4
Drama therapy and the treatment of eating disorders: Advancing towards clinical guidelines	4
A study exploring dance/movement therapy's affinity with the body training system by Lee-chen Lin in Taiwan: A focus on self-concept	4
‘The Music was Speaking to Me’: Using narrative inquiry to describe sacred moments with music	4
Music therapy group for women outpatients with major depressive disorder under treatment as usual in a psychiatric institution: non-randomized pilot trial	4
Dance movement therapy for Black womxn: A content analysis	4
Critical pedagogy in the undergraduate music therapy curriculum: A grounded theory study of music therapy educators	4
Deconstructing trauma narratives: A critical interpretive synthesis of research into music therapy and psychological trauma in adults	4
Gender-based violence comes on the scene: Creative Arts Therapies intervention in prison with men who committed or tried to commit feminicide	4
Art therapy with young individuals with sickle cell disease: Understanding the clinical practices, challenges, and barriers	4
Exploring the adolescent-self through written and visual diaries	4
Commentary: Moving into an embodied aesthetic theory of care	4
Joint music sessions, parents, and their lesbian and gay young adult children: Effectiveness on the ‘coming out’ process, relationships, and wellbeing	4