The study of art-based assessments tools, as unique methods for art-therapists in evaluating the client's strengths and difficulties, mostly during the first stage of therapy. I had developed a quantitative rating system for scoring PPAT (Person Picking an Apple , Gantt, 1990), the Symbolic Content of PPAT, and validated it within two research projects in Israel [n=126 (D5, D6), N=215 (D7, D9)], and within two research projects in Crete [N=800, N=120]). My collaboration with professionals from the University of Crete is an active and fruitful. Our rating system captures quantitatively the visual narrative, and thus contributes to the study of projective drawings. I also analyses PPAT drawings of clinical samples with qualitative methods as well (K4). Currently we collect PPAT drawings of high-risk adolescents in Israel, and search after content and narrative validation, through self-reported tools.

Together with prof. Zilcha-Mano we developed a self reported questionnaire measuring the art therapy working alliance. This year we have been conducting a research for measuring the main factors in this innovating concept 

The study of professional development of art therapist in Israel: A pioneer study was conducted about the professional development of Israeli art therapists, and in specific, their personal therapy, and preference of a theoretical model (K5). For this project we have developed specific self-questionnaires.

For the contribution to the parental representations and mentalization, the study of clay parent-child method included also fathers (K3) and mothers to Autistic children. In these projects our efforts are to deepen the theory and art therapy practice in this domain.

Finally, due to my former experience in working in group-therapy of bereaved parents, and group-therapy for widows and orphans, in the Israeli Ministry of Defense, I have started to explore the therapeutic qualities of art for people who experienced the loss of a loved one by qualitative methods. By interviewing art therapists that work with the bereaved, we hope to gain insights about the dynamics of art therapy with this population.

1. 1.        1. Mayseless, O., Scharf, M., & Sholt, M. (2003). From authoritative parenting practices to an authoritarian context: exploring the person-                               environment fit, Journal of Research on Adolescence, 13(4), 427-456. 
   2.       2.   Sholt, M., & Gavron, T. (2006). Therapeutic qualities of clay-work in art-therapy and psychotherapy: a review. Art Therapy Journal, 23(2),                         66-72.

3. Bat Or, M. (2010). Clay Sculpting of Mother and Child Figures as encourages Mentalization, Arts in Psychotherapy, 37, 319-327. 

6. Bat Or, M. (2012). Non-verbal representations of maternal holding of toddlers. Arts in Psychotherapy, 39, 117-125. Doi:10.1016/j.aip.2012. 
7. Bat Or, M. (2014). FEATS Problem-Solving Scale in PPAT of Children Aged 5-6.5 As Related to Their Executive Functions and Motivation. Arts in Psychotherapy Journal. 41 (1), 27-35. Doi: 1016/j.aip.2013.11.008 
8. Bat Or, M., Ishai, R., & Levi , N. (2014). Validating PPAT’s Symbolic Meanings of Emotional and Cognitive Functioning among Children. Arts in Psychotherapy Journal. 41 (3), 309-319. Doi: 10.1016/j.aip.2014.05.001 

7. Bat Or, M. Ishai, R., & Levi, N. (2015). The Symbolic Content in Adults’ PPAT as related to Attachment Styles and Achievement Motivation. Arts in Psychotherapy Journal. 43, pp. 49-60. doi:10.1016/j.aip.2014.12.005 

8. Bat Or, M. (2015). Separateness representations in mothers of preschoolers: The study of visual narratives in a sculpting task. Art therapy Journal. 32 (2), pp. 70-77. Doi: 1080/07421656.2015.1028005. 

9. Bat Or, M., & Ishai, R. (2016). Form and content in adults’ Person Picking as Apple from a Tree’ drawings as related to attachment. International Journal of Art Therapy. 21 (1), 2-14. Doi: 1080/17454832.2015.1125380. 

10. Bat Or, M., & Megides, O. (2016). Found Art/Readymade as art therapy intervention in trauma and loss. Journal of Clinical Art Therapy,3(1), 1-30.  

11. Bat Or, M. & Greinmann, Bauch#, H. N. (2017). Paternal representations and contemporary fatherhood themes through clay figure-sculpting task among fathers of toddlers. Arts in Psychotherapy. 56(3), 19-29. DOI: 1016/j.aip.2017.07.004 

12. Bat Or, M., & Garti#, D. (2018). Art therapists’ perceptions of the art medium’s roles in the treatment of the bereaved. Death Studies, 43 (3), 193-203. DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2018.1445138 

13. Zemach, R., & Bat Or, M. (2018). A self- portrait photomontage incorporating personal photos: Therapeutic applications. “Bein Hamilim”: Seminar Hakibutzim Art Therapy Journal. 14.  https://www.smkb.ac.il/arts-therapy/beyn-hamilim/volume14

14. Bat Or, M., Papadaki, A., Shalev, O., & Kourkoutas, E. E. (2018). Associations between perception of parental behavior and "Person Picking an Apple from a Tree" drawings among children with and without Special Educational Needs (SEN). Frontiers, 1-13. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01613 

15. Bat Or, M., & Zilcha-Mano, S. (2018). The Art Therapy Working Alliance: The development of a measure. International Journal of Art Therapy: Inscape, 1-12. 

17. Bat Or, M., & Kourkoutas, E. E., Smyrnaki, M., & Potchebutzky, H. (2019). Two drawing tasks that illuminate self-agency representations of school children with disruptive behavior problems. Art Therapy: The American Association Journal. DOI: 10.1080/07421656.2019.1565724. 
18. *Garti,# D., & Bat Or, M. (2019). The subjective experience of art therapists in the treatment of bereaved clients. Art Therapy: The American Association Journal. 1-9. DOI: 10.1080/07421656.2019.1609329. 

19. #Potchebutzky, H., Bat Or, M., & Kourkoutas, E. E., & Smyrnaki, (2019). Subjective experience of children with disruptive behavior problems as communicated through “Person Picking an Apple from a Tree” drawings. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 15 (1), 2-16. DOI: 10.1080/15401383.2019.1635060 
20. Bat Or, M., & Ishai, R. (2019). Adult’s ‘Person Picking an Apple from a Tree’ drawing: Coherency, reciprocity, and attachment styles. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 1-16. DOI: 10.1080/15401383.2019.1689212 

20. Eyal-Cohen, D., Regev, D., Snir, S., & Bat Or, M. (2020). Developing the professional identity of art therapy students as reflected in art therapy simulation sessions. Arts in Psychotherapy, DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2020.101706.

21. #Finkel, D., & Bat Or, M. (2020). "The Open Studio Approach to Art Therapy: A Systematic Scoping Review". Frontiers, DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.568042 

22. # Roth, A., Golan, Broder, D., Levy, M., Ishai, R., & Bat Or, M. (2020). Associations Between Form, Content and Narrative in ‘Person Picking an Apple from a Tree’ drawings of Preschool Children. Arts in Psychotherapy, 1-15.

23. # Greinmann, Bauch, H. N. & Bat Or, M. (2021). Exploring Paternal Mentalization among Fathers of -Toddlers Through a Clay Sculpting Task. Frontiers DOI: 3389/fpsyg.2021.518480 

24. #Argaman, Ben David, I., Bat Or, , Regev, D., & Snir, S. (2021) Changes Over Time in Therapeutic and Art Therapy Working Alliances in Simulated Art Therapy Sessions. Arts in Psychotherapy, 

25. Gazit, I., Snir, S., Regev, D., & Bat Or, M. (2021). Relationships Between the Therapeutic Alliance and Reactions to Artistic Experience With Art Materials in an Art Therapy Simulation.Frontiers in Psychology, 2325.‏ DOI: 3389/fpsyg.2021.560957[

26. # Boaz, S., & Bat Or, M. (2022). Jewish and Arab Youth Create Murals in Public Space: Community-Based Art Therapy Exploratory Research. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology. DOI: 10.1037/pac0000620 

27. # Gavron, T., #Eskenasy, N., Snir, S., & Bat Or, M. (2022). Art-based psychosocial intervention in community trauma- the Philippines case. Arts in Psychotherapy. 
28. #Sela, T., & Bat Or, M. (2022). ‘‘You Have Your Eyesight and You Do Not See:" Representations of sight and blindness as manifested inthe artistic and verbal expressions of adults who grew up in the shadow of a secret. Arts in Psychotherapy, 80, 101941. DOI: 11016/j.aip.2022.101941{I.F. 2021= 1.40].
29. #Bresler, Nardi, A., Shupher, E., & Bat Or, M. (2022). Dance Movement Therapy Processes and Interventions in the Treatment of Children with Anxiety Disorders derived from Therapy Logs . Arts in Psychotherapy, 80, DOI: 10.1016/j.aip.2022.101951
30. Bat Or, M., & Zusman-Bloch, R. (2022). Subjective Experiences of At-risk Children in a Foster Care VillageWho Participated in an Open Studio. Children, 9 (8), 1218. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9081218
31. Bat Or, M., & Ben-Shoshan Chen, M., Shalev, O. (2022). Preschool children’s "Person Picking an Apple from a Tree" drawings and their stories about heir drawings: Problem-solving expressions. Arts in Psychotherapy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2022.101964

32. Bat Or, M., Ishai, R., Barkai, N., & Shalev, O. (2022). Visual expressions of children’s strengths, difficulties and wishes in Person Picking an Apple from a Tree drawings among preschoolers living in chronic political violence, 9 (9). 1387. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9091387 

33. #Eden, Stern, O. & Bat Or, M. (2022). Home representations of at-risk children in an emergency shelter. International Journal of Art Therapy: Inscape.

Community work and activism

Michal is an active art therapist in a private practice, and the head of two open-studios in the community for at-risk children and youth: In a boarding school Kfar Hayeladim Karmiel, . Michal is the author and illustrator of three children’s books, two of them deals with peace among Arabs-Palestinians and Israelis