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Outcomes of Art Therapy Treatment for Military Service Members with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-traumatic Stress at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence

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Mobile Brain-Body Imaging and the Neuroscience of Art, Innovation and Creativity

Part of the book series: Springer Series on Bio- and Neurosystems ((SSBN,volume 10))

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Abstract

Recent conflicts of war have resulted in what are being referred to as the “invisible wounds of war.” Complex, comorbid conditions in military service members (SMs) and veterans, including TBI and PTSD, have prompted clinicians and researchers to explore treatments which address this population’s unique needs, including personalized care in which the SM can meaningfully engage. Since 2010, the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) has designed and implemented an interdisciplinary care model which incorporates the creative art therapies for SMs with TBI/PTSD and other associated psychological health conditions. Art therapy programming and research outcomes were presented at the 2017 International Conference on Mobile-Brain Body Imaging and the Neuroscience of Art, Innovation, and Creativity conference held in Valencia, Spain. Key findings when examining art therapy for SMs with TBI/PTSD include the need for individualized care for this unique population, including treatment which allows for safe expression of traumatic and emotional content, the fostering of a sense of belonging within community, as well as the use of art therapy as an assessment tool. Future need for prospective, controlled, multi-site research in art therapy has been implicated and is outlined in the Creative Forces®: NEA Military Healing Arts Network’s Clinical Research: A Strategic Framework and Five-Year Agenda (2018–2022).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Intrepid Center of Excellence, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Melissa S. Walker

  2. Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network, National Endowment for the Arts, Washington, D.C., USA

    Melissa S. Walker

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  1. Melissa S. Walker
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Correspondence to Melissa S. Walker .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. NSF IUCRC BRAIN Center, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Jose L. Contreras-Vidal

  2. Cullen College of Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Dario Robleto

  3. Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA

    Jesus G. Cruz-Garza

  4. Departamento de Ingeniería de Sistemas y Automática, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Elche, Alicante, Spain

    José M. Azorín

  5. Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

    Chang S. Nam

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Walker, M.S. (2019). Outcomes of Art Therapy Treatment for Military Service Members with Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-traumatic Stress at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence. In: Contreras-Vidal, J., Robleto, D., Cruz-Garza, J., Azorín, J., Nam, C. (eds) Mobile Brain-Body Imaging and the Neuroscience of Art, Innovation and Creativity. Springer Series on Bio- and Neurosystems, vol 10. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24326-5_12

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