The research was a qualitative study which was designed to investigate the ways that art therapy facilitates expressive behavior and enhances adaptive coping with anxiety, depression, or other psychological difficulty; and whether it can be used as a model for on-campus mental health interventions. The study utilized nine (9) students attending school in two different cities in the Metro Manila and Laguna region of the Philippines. These subjects were all at least 18 years old and ranged in age from 18 to 25. Each subject had attended at least four to six individual art therapy sessions. Interviews were completed using google meet or in person interviews using a structured interview format. All interview data was collected and examined utilizing Colaizzi’s (1978) Phenomenological Framework and thematic coding techniques.
The results indicated that through art therapy, participants were able to verbalize their emotions/feelings through non- verbal forms of creative expression. Several participants felt as though they could express many of their thoughts, experiences and feelings through creative expression, which is difficult for them to communicate verbally. Additionally, several emergent themes identified in the results indicate that participants experienced positive effects when utilizing art therapy such as regulating their emotions; developing new coping mechanisms; reducing levels of perceived stress; increasing self-awareness/self-discovery; organizing their thoughts cognitively; creating an atmosphere conducive to thinking, reflecting and making meaning without external pressures. Finally, the various forms of artistic materials and creative process utilized during the therapy allowed for a medium through which participants could experience relief emotionally and gain insight into understanding others better.