I designed my entire BIS program to prepare me for a Master’s in Art Therapy, but it concerned me that art therapy didn’t have as much empirical support as other treatment methods. Hoping to change this in the future, I figured I might as well start now. I talked to Dr. Grimes, a clinical child psychologist, about wanting to investigate art therapy further, and she pointed me in the direction of aggression in children. Upon beginning the literature review component of the research, I realized just how prevalent a problem conduct problems can be in youth.

     

     I already knew I loved reading about research in psychology, but this project made me realize just how passionate I am about it. As I read in preparation for designing my own study, I became hungry for more and more literature on the subjects of aggression and art therapy. The literature review was a vital part of this project as this type of research will continue constantly throughout my professional development. Professionals must be willing to learn from what others are doing. As a future researcher, I have to stay up to date on what others are doing to guide and inform my own research questions and methods.

The process of designing a research project that was entirely my own also allowed me to develop a lot of research skills that I would not have otherwise gained. I was able to familiarize myself with qualtrics, Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, and SPSS. It was also great practice sharing my research, as I was able to present in several locations and settings.

     

     This project ended up being pivotal in my pursuit of a graduate education. Although I would still love to pursue art therapy, I am looking to first gain tools in current evidence-based treatments, so that I can be sure that I am as effective as possible as a professional. This project also greatly changed my opinion about treating aggression and conduct problems in children. Before this project, I honestly hadn’t really considered it of great importance, and am now considering focusing on that in my future practice. As I studied the great cost to society posed by those with unsuccessfully treated conduct disorders, I realized just how crucial effective interventions are.

     

     As far as Essential Learning Outcomes of SUU, many would apply to my project but those that are most relevant are Digital Literacy, Critical Thinking, and Inquiry & Analysis. As I have already mentioned, this project allowed me to practice using many programs that I was previously less familiar with: Qualtrics, Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, and SPSS. I learned how to design and conduct a survey online and then analyze the data statistically. These programs were so useful and will be great tools in the future. I also enjoyed the critical thinking aspect of this project that allowed me to learn about art therapy as well as traditional interventions for aggression and use that information to inform my study. The coolest part of this project was that it was all mine. My research question, a study that I designed, and data interpretations that are also all mine! My mentor was an extremely valuable resource, but she allowed me to be independent with this project and take full ownership of the outcome.

     

     Although my hypothesis was not supported, I could not be more satisfied with what this project accomplished for my academic and professional purposes. These gains were not what I set out for at the start of this project, but I am so grateful that this project became more than I anticipated. If I were to do this project over, I would want to collect more information about the demographics of those I studied, and analyze the data more broadly than just a Pearson’s correlation. ​

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