The Four Major Art Therapy Assessments

Diagnostic Drawing Series (DDS)

The Diagnostic Drawing Series is a three-part assessment that largely relies upon colored chalk pastels and an 18”x24” piece of paper. In the first portion of the series, clients are able to draw anything that they want. In the second, they are asked to draw a tree. In the third and final picture of the series, they are asked to represent how they feel by the clever use of lines, shapes and colors. Certified art therapists are then able to interpret these drawings to gain a deeper insight to the person’s inner state of mind and level of self-awareness.

Mandala Assessment Research Instrument (MARI)

Mandalas are images that originate from the Buddhist faith and are designs enclosed in a geometric shape. In this variation of art therapy, individuals are asked to choose a particular mandala from a deck of mandala cards and then to choose a colored card from another deck. Then, using oil pastels, they are asked to recreate the mandala they selected using the color of their choice, while working to explain any hidden meanings, experiences or other related information that may come to mind during the specific exercise.

House-Tree-Person (HTP)

Similar to the first art assessment, this particular practice has people draw three separate things (a house, a tree and a person) using a lead pencil while answering specific, open-ended questions about each one. The art therapist is trained to use these images to gain insight into particular aspects related to the artist.

Road Drawing

Though a simple task, asking clients to draw a road offers a massive amount of very personal insight including how they view their own “road of life” as well as information about their past and even their intent for the future. Over the course of therapy, the road drawn by a client can vary dramatically.

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