적응이 어려운 대학원 1년차 유학생을 위한 집단 미술치료 사례연구

Abstract

Although the population of international students has been increasing in the United States, many international students continue to experience adjustment difficulties such as language barriers, different academic systems, or social difficulties. This study was designed as a case study to investigate how group art therapy affects international students and if it can be used as a counseling modality for international graduate students with accommodation difficulties. Six first year international graduate students from a United States university were chosen for this case study. Participants expressed difficulty in adjusting to their new school environment in the beginning of this case study. Each student took part in six sessions of group art therapy. Four main themes were found through art therapy intervention: expression of one’s feelings, connection to one’s heritage, gaining insight, and increased interpersonal skills. After each session, participants started to show improvement in their interpersonal skills, and by the end of the program, participants stated that they were able to feel relaxed and had better control over their issues. In addition, participants stated that they were willing to participate in art therapy intervention in the future. These findings support that group art therapy intervention would be an effective counseling modality for international students with adjustment difficulties and the need for additional research in this area.