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Arts in health has been in the spotlight across Europe over the past year, with numerous projects drawing on empirical data that convincingly show art plays a significant role in reducing stress, in emotional and behavioural regulation (Bokoch et al., 2025), in cognition, sensory and perceptual systems, motor systems, and endocrine and immune responses — sometimes affecting several of these simultaneously (Worrell et al., 2025) — as well as in general wellbeing, social connectedness, and physical coordination (Joschko et al., 2024; Sonke et al., 2025). Many projects highlight the connection between community and art, such as a pilot project in Switzerland in which physicians help residents facing difficulties by prescribing museum visits.

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An important mapping of stakeholders in the field of art and health was carried out in Croatia, jointly conducted by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia and HART – the Croatian Association of Art Therapists. The mapping systematically documented art therapy and broader arts-and-health practices in Croatia, identifying existing programmes, professional roles, institutional frameworks, and gaps in service availability. The results provided an evidence base for professional advocacy, a clearer distinction between art therapy and related practices, and an informed dialogue with health, social, and cultural stakeholders on the development of the field. In Croatia, we are witnessing progress in the development of the profession, and the publisher of this journal, the Croatian Association of Art Therapists, is proud to have been part of that journey. In light of the growth of art therapy practice in Croatia, where over the past nine years students and alumni of the creative therapies programme have applied their knowledge, in this issue we share some of those experiences. One article presents practice in a psychiatric setting, covering a wide range of applications of art therapy in the mental health field — a well-known context for art therapists. A challenging and important piece of work with emergency medical staff shows the possibilities of practising even in the least structured conditions. Another courageous implementation of art therapy in a paediatric hospital is presented through a case study of a comprehensive programme that includes individual and group therapy as well as an open-studio format.

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Building on these Croatian practices is an original phenomenological study on the role and identity of art therapists within paediatric hospital departments in the USA. There is also a review article on neurological systems and how knowledge from cognitive neurology is translated into art therapy processes, based on research conducted by the author herself, Juliet King. Another article offers a review of creative therapies in psychiatric settings over the past twenty or so years, an important overview in light of the changes we have witnessed in recent years.

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As usual, we bring you an interview with Marian Liebmann, a doyenne of art therapy who taught us everything we know about group art therapy work, and who, alongside some twenty other books, edited the recently published books "Art Therapy with Physical Conditions" and "Art Therapy with Neurological Conditions." Another important publication in the field of art therapy and health is certainly Susan Hogan's book series, one volume of which is featured in depth, along with the context in which this series came about. Another important contribution is an interview with Iva Fattorini, who shares her path from medicine toward integrating medicine with creative practices, along with her vision of creative therapies in health and how this can be implemented.

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Mia Janković Shentser, Editor-in-Chief

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