Abstract
At-risk children who reside in a battered women’s shelter have been found to have a low selfconcept (Jaffe, Wolfe, & Wilson, 1990). This quantitative, before-and-after study,
investigated the effects of a four-week art therapy group on self-concept of at-risk children
who were residing in a shelter for survivors of domestic abuse. Study participants ranged in
age from seven to twelve and were randomly assigned to the control or experimental groups,
with the experimental group receiving art therapy semiweekly. Self-concept was measured
by administering the Piers-Harris Children’s Self-Concept Scale (PHCSCS), Second Edition,
to both groups before and after the intervention. The investigator found that the experimental
group showed a greater increase in their self-concept than that of the control group, as
measured by the PHCSCS. These preliminary findings show support for the use of art
therapy with children living in a battered women’s shelter to increase their self-concept.
