ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a detailed description of the adaptive art therapy model that has evolved at the UK veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress to meet the specific needs of traumatised veterans. Mindful of military culture and shaped by the framework of short-stay admissions, this model is informed by the neurobiological underpinnings of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and mechanisms of art therapy. It provides an integrated, phasic, theme-based framework. Consideration is also given to what might be learned and applied from evidence-based psychological approaches such as trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and Compassion Focused Therapy to create an art therapy toolbox.
