The purpose of this case-study was to investigate the effects of the group art-therapy on reducing parenting stress of mothers with handicapped children. The group art-therapy was progressed for 3 mothers with handicapped children and consisted 13 sessions, each of them were lasted 2hours every week.
In order to reduce parenting stress of the mothers with handicapped children, the group art-therapy program was focused on emotional catharsis of the mothers and changes of their recognition over their families.
To examine effects of the group art-therapy, emotional catharsis of the mothers and changes of their recognition on their families by KFD(Kinetic Family Drawing) was investigated. Firstly, the group art-therapy had brought on emotional catharsis of them.
As the sessions went on, they came to formation of empathy by expressing the stress on parenting burden and deep self-expression by mutual support and comfort compared with negative reactions and some resistance in the beginning. According to the result, negative feelings were significantly solved, they discovered mutual frank expressions, differences and commonness and understood each other.
Secondly, the group art-therapy bring on changes on family recognition of the mothers. So to speak, they admitted the reality in family and forged a power which make it possible to deal with their actual life positively with their family. It showed that the group art-therapy brought on the reduction on parenting stress of the mothers with handicapped children.
Key Words : Art-therapy, Mothers with handicapped children, Parenting stress