Janice Lobban
Janice Lobban is currently Senior Art Psychotherapist at Combat Stress, UK. She has practiced in military mental health for 16 years and has lectured internationally on art therapy and military trauma in London, Stockholm, St Petersburg, Amsterdam and New York. As a Churchill Fellow, she spent time in the USA gathering evidence of the unique contribution of art therapy as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder within the military population to support findings in the UK.
Biography
Janice Lobban is an art psychotherapist who specialises in military mental health. She has published a number of articles in the International Journal of Art Therapy, and edited the book 'Art Therapy with Military Veterans: Trauma and the Image', published by Routledge.In 2016, Janice was awarded a Churchill Research Fellowship to visit the USA. There she was able to investigate the provision of art therapy for veterans and serving personnel within the US Veterans Administration. She gathered evidence of the unique contribution of art therapy within military mental health in order to strengthen clinical understanding of practice and to inform further research. Her published report made recommendations for the development of services in the UK.
As a result of the professional links made with US art therapists, transatlantic art therapy groups were held via video conferencing between veterans at Combat Stress, UK and veterans at VA Connecticut, West Haven. The live groups provided an opportunity to share experience through a common language of imagery and to recognise the effects of similar wounds.
Education
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University of East Anglia
Goldsmiths, University of London
King's College London
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
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Recent research has shown that although trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy is an effective, evidence-based treatment for PTSD, there is a subset of clients with high levels of avoidance and dissociation who find it difficult to engage in this form of treatment. Coupled with this, there are an increasing number of veterans seeking help for mental health problems. This indicates a need to find alternative forms of treatment for those veterans with highly avoidant or dissociative PTSD presentations, such as approaches that are less reliant on verbal/cognitive processes. Consequently, Janice Lobban is engaged in research to provide evidence for the efficacy of art therapy as a way of overcoming avoidance and working with dissociation.
Books
Articles
Using art therapy to overcome avoidance in veterans with chronic PTSD
Published: Nov 16, 2017 by International Journal of Art Therapy
Authors: Janice Lobban & Dominic Murphy
Avoidance can be a significant barrier to engaging in trauma-focused treatment for PTSD, as well as being a mechanism that creates restrictions that can seriously impact functioning and wellbeing. This study suggests that art therapy can assist veterans to overcome avoidance and provide a means of opening up new ways of perceiving, interpreting, and responding to situations.
Veterans' perspectives on the acceptability of art therapy
Published: Feb 15, 2017 by International Journal of Art Therapy
Authors: Emily Palmer, Kate Hill, Janice Lobban & Dominic Murphy
This study aimed to explore the acceptability of art therapy for veterans, employing a mixed-methods design. The sample was drawn from clients of treatment programmes provided by a national veteran mental health charity. It comprised 547 veterans with a range of mental health difficulties who had attended an art therapy group session.
Art therapy for military veterans with PTSD: A transatlantic study
Published: Oct 30, 2016 by WCMT website
Authors: Janice Lobban
Churchill Fellowship Report
Factors that influence engagement in an inpatient art therapy group for veterans
Published: Jan 22, 2016 by International Journal of Art Therapy
Authors: Janice Lobban
The findings of two art therapy pilot surveys are presented. The first aimed to understand why some veterans did not attend all the art therapy groups during a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) programme, to inform service development. The second was to test feedback about the benefits of art therapy.
The Invisible Wound: Veterans' Art Therapy
Published: Sep 18, 2012 by International Journal of Art Therapy
Authors: Janice Lobban
On Armistice Day 2011, BBC2 broadcast a Culture Show special, entitled ‘Art for Heroes’, about art therapy with veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It involved the filming of an art therapy group at a Surrey treatment centre for veterans. This article is based on the transcript of that group and takes a thematic analysis approach towards understanding the benefits of art therapy for those veterans.
Videos
Published: Sep 23, 2017
Janice Lobban speaks about art therapy with veterans at Combat Stress.