Journal article
The FRAME model for manualization: Developing a flexible and responsive telehealth art therapy approach for military PTSD
The Arts in psychotherapy, p102548
Sep 2026
Abstract
Creative arts therapists often express reservations about standardizing therapeutic protocols due to a perceived lack of individualization of care and concerns regarding assumed inflexibility of interventions. To address these concerns, we describe how an interdisciplinary team of art therapists, clinical psychologists, physicians, and Veterans developed an eight-week manualized telehealth art therapy program for military populations with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Art therapy Remote Treatment for Veterans Experiencing Trauma (ART-VET). This article describes how we designed this manualized intervention to maintain the important individualized, spontaneous, and creative aspects of person-centered art therapy treatment while enhancing treatment fidelity and rigor. ART-VET's flexibility and individualized design paired with systematized clinical decision-making make this a responsive and innovative approach to manualization. The authors identify a framework for flexible art therapy manualization called the Flexible & Responsive Art therapy Manualization for Evidence (FRAME) model. We describe our process of creating ART-VET and plans to test its treatment fidelity and effectiveness using the FRAME model. Recommendations for art therapists seeking to develop flexible, manualized art therapy interventions using the FRAME model are provided.
•Creative arts therapies (CAT) manuals can preserve CATs’ flexibility and creativity•Flexible manuals can support both individualization and the replicable delivery of CATs•Delivering CAT with fidelity strengthens evidence and leads to higher quality studies, such as RCTs•A step-by-step framework for future art therapy manual development is provided
Metrics
1 Record Views
Details
- Title
- The FRAME model for manualization: Developing a flexible and responsive telehealth art therapy approach for military PTSD
- Creators
- Heather Spooner - National Endowment for the ArtsKristyn S. Stickley (Corresponding Author) - Drexel UniversityLaura C. Jones - University of FloridaKatherine Selby - Uniformed Services University of the Health SciencesCarrie E. Lee - University of FloridaSteven W. Brown - University of FloridaDamon G. Lamb - University of FloridaCharles E. Levy - National Endowment for the ArtsJeffrey L. Goodie - Uniformed Services University of the Health SciencesJohn B. Williamson - University of FloridaGirija Kaimal - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- The Arts in psychotherapy, p102548
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Creative Arts Therapies
- Other Identifier
- 991022234351504721