Seung Yeon Lee (she/her/hers)

Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (July 8 - July 26) :

Professor Seung Yeon Lee is currently engaged in a pilot research project focused on the development of mindfulness-based art therapy interventions incorporating traditional Chinese art practices such as brush paintings and calligraphy to enhance mind- body connections. The study aims to create art therapy interventions that harness meditative qualities, fostering therapeutic changes in resilience and self-compassion. Professor Lee’s interest lies in utilizing art materials like water, ink, paper, and brush as the primary mediums for calligraphy-based art therapy. The selected art mediums will be evaluated using the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) and Composition Arts Medium (CAM) for their therapeutic benefits. As such, the Shanghai global site will offer access to research on traditional Chinese calligraphy practices and provide opportunities to connect with scholars interested in a similar topic. This pilot research, which involves designing about 8- 10 different interventions in terms of calligraphy themes, methods, tools, and meditative aspects, serves as a foundational step. The completion of this project will pave the way for a larger research endeavor where these calligraphy- based art therapy interventions will be implemented in community-based art therapy programs to observe outcomes in terms of resilience and self-compassion. In summary, this pilot study is about the development of culturally informed and meaningful calligraphy-based art therapy interventions.