Supporting non-verbal visual communication in online group art therapy

• Main Authors: JONES, Brennan, COLLIE, Kate, HANKINSON, Sara Prins, TANG, Anthony
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2014
• Subjects: Art making; Art therapy; Collaboration; Online therapy; Telehealth; User awareness; User embodiment; Graphics and Human Computer Interfaces
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sis_research/7999; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sis_research/article/9002/viewcontent/2559206.2581302.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Art therapy provides therapeutic benefit to people suffering from chronic pain, and recent work has explored supporting art therapy through online tools such as chat forums and discussion boards. These tools give people the benefit of engaging in art therapy without the burden of having to leave one’s home (when transportation may be a challenge), and allowing people to reveal their identities through dialogue and activity rather than through one’s appearance. However, these tools also do not provide much opportunity for collaboration and shared art making. Because group members are not aware of each other’s actions and non-verbal cues in a chat room, they cannot collaborate with each other easily. We discuss the design and development of tools that promote enhanced awareness of non-verbal cues and shared creative experiences in online group art therapy.