A Computer Art Therapy System for Kinetic Family Drawing (CATS_KFD)

Abstract

This study delineates the development of the Computer Art Therapy System for the Kinetic Family Drawing (CATS_KFD) which uses given patterns instead of free drawings. The CATS_KFD consists of four stages. The system provides clients with questionnaires on their family relationships and color preferences, and their answers constitute a fact base. The system provides the client with various patterns of family members and backgrounds which possibly compose a KFD, and the client selects a few among them; manages, expands, or contracts; and colors them. The system evaluates elements and detects changes of evaluations in the KFDs, and this evaluation and detection of changes also constitute the fact base. The system interprets one or several KFDs by invoking the knowledge in a knowledge base corresponding to the facts in the fact base. The knowledge base, which consists of knowledge related to the KFD is continuously accumulated and updated. The system automatically provides art therapists not only with an objective evaluation of the elements, but also with information about their client's psychological status and treatment process. It is expected that the CATS_KFD with patterns would inherit and complement the validity of the traditional KFD with free drawings. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.