Dr. Ephrat Huss June 2009PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS & FUTURE PLANSMy overall area of research, is the interface between arts based research methods andinterventions within social work. This has been developed into: 1. MethodologicalImplications; 2. Clinical interventions; and 3. theoretical directions.1. METHODOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONSFirstly, I have researched the potential of arts based research as an indigenous andfeminists methodology for accessing the experiences of marginalized non westernwomen. Outcomes from my research are that the arts are especially suited to capturingthe multifaceted levels of impoverished, marginalized and non western client'sexperience. This is developed in the following (see CV, Scientific Publication, referenceno. 4, published in Qualitative Research in Israel; reference no. 13, published in QualitativeInquiry; reference no. 18, published in International Journal of Qualitative Methods; referenceno. 15, published in Visual Anthroplogy. See also reference in section b - Creative Arts inInterdisciplinary Practice).For this research direction I received a grant from the Center for Bedouin Studies (see,CV, research grants section). Additionally, I founded a national art based research groupof Based on this group research Together with my colleague Prof Kacen, and Dr. EinavSegev, we are editing a book on the work of this group, called From theory to practice andback again (see CV Present Activities section, part a). The book is in progress.2. CLINICAL INTERVENTIONSI have researched the use of arts as an interventional method within clinical practice. Thisdirection includes the use of art to express indirect patterns of resistance and as and away to encourage strengths based understandings of clients recources, creativity, and. selfdefinition of problems, as well as the arts as a method of developing criticalconsciousness (see CV, Scientific Publication, reference no. 3, published in arts, education,and social change; reference no. 5, published in Arab Women: Sites of Resistance, and in thefollowing journals: Gender and Education - reference no. 6; Social Work Education - referenceno. 7; and Women and Therapy: A feminist quarterly - reference no. 12. This researchdirection received a Whitman research award (see CV, Research Grants).Dr. Ephrat Huss June 2009An additional direction, written with Professor Cwikel, was about the relationshipbetween self expression and somatic symptoms formarginalized women (reference no.11, published in Archives of women's mental health) This research received a BrandiesUniversity HBI award and grant for feminist research.An additional clinical implication researched, is the use of the arts as an intercultural toolwith clients from diverse backgrounds: This was studied among Bedouin Muslimwomen, as well as Sephardic Jewish women. The arts enabled a shared understanding ofdifferent social realities, as well as a way to integrate opposing and hybrid culturalidentities (see reference no. 1, published in Media and Materials: Expanding Visual Languagein contemporary art theraphy and reference no. 6, published in Gender and Education; referenceno. 8, published in dance and psychotherapy; and reference no. 12 published in women andtherapy: A Feminist Quaterly).3. THEORETICAL DIRECTIONSThe interface between social work and the arts has not yet been researched in terms ofit's theoretical implications to social work theory: The following articles have attemptedthis, and include the use of a social critical analysis of clients’ art, as well as practicedirections for integrating phenomenological and socially contextualized data about clientsand about social workers (see reference no. 9 and no. 10, published in Arts inPsychotherapy; reference no. 7, published in social work education; and a paper submitted toArchives for psychiatric nursing - see CV, Present Activities section, part b).My research plans in the future are to continue to develop the methodological, clinical,and theoretical directions of this innovative area. On the level of arts based research, Ihave submitted a research grant with colleagues to local authority funding sources, Acomparison of the experience of Bedouin children in townships vs. unrecognized settlements (see CV,Present Activities section, part a).ON the level of theory, I have submitted a book proposal to Routledge on this subjectcalled Towards a Social Theory of Art therapy (see CV, Present Activities section, part a). Onthe clinical level, I aim to continue to undertake evidence based, evaluative researchconcerning the effectiveness of arts interventions: and I have submitted an ISF researchgrant named A study of the inclusion of creative interventions within social work: Typology andtheoretical implication (see CV, Present Activities section, part a).Dr. Ephrat Huss June 2009At present I am developing with colleagues, a collaborative research project aiming tounderstand the impact of art on social work students, and of social action on artists, thatintegrates radical social work and the arts- aiming to continue integrating the arts withinsocial work on a theoretical, clinical, and methodological level.
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The Arts in Society
The Image
