This study is to check if art therapy can help reduce the post traumatic stress of a child who
was victimized from sexual abuse and, in particular, what effects art therapy can bring onto the
child\'s self-esteem and problem behavior caused by the post traumatic stress disorder. The
study subject is a nine year old girl, third-year student in elementary school, who was sexually abused previously. She had a total of 19 art therapy sessions from December 28, 2006 to March 15, 2007. The measurement tools are Standard Rating for Problem Behavior (Parent Version), Measurement for Self-Esteem, Projection Tests through Self-Portrait and KFD, and Comparative Changes between Pre- and Post-test. The results obtained from the study are as follows. First, art therapy is effective in reducing the child victim\'s problem behavior caused from her post traumatic stress. Second, art therapy helps improve the victimized child\'s self-esteem, especially her self-esteem at home. In conclusion, it can be said that an art therapeutic treatment for a sexually abused child would help the abused victim recover herself by reducing her PTSD through art therapeutic sessions. This study suggests also that not only the intervention of art therapy but the continuous parental and family support will help the child with sexual abuse to overcome her intrusive thoughts, including obsessive and compulsive thinking or behavior, that she has to deal with for a long time.
Key Words : Sexual Abuse, PTSD(Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), Art Therapy