This study conducted a family art therapy targeting family members who live with grandparents since
parents’ divorce and runaway in order to verify the effects the family art therapy on the improvement
of the self-esteem, the family cohesion and the adaptability of family members from the
grandparent-grandchildren families. Family members from an impoverished grandparent-grandchildren family
who has requested consultation with a J family support center located in Y-gu, Seoul, was selected as a
research subject. The subject with her grandmother (age 60) and younger sister (age 13) joined a total of 11
sessions of the art therapy once a week for 90 minutes each from September to December, 2009. In order
to verify the effects of the program, the study evaluated problems through the interviews with the research
subject, and conducted the ex-ante and the ex-post tests using Self-Esteem Scale (SES) and The Family
Cohesion and Adaptability Evaluation Scales Ⅲ (FACES-Ⅲ). The study also carried out a qualitative analysis
on activities related to the self-esteem, the family adaptability and the family cohesion as well as a process
of how behaviors change through each session. The findings of the study are summarized as follows. First,
the family art therapy was observed to have a positive influence for it has improved the self-esteem of
family members from the grandparent-grandchildren family. Second, the family art therapy was understood
to have an effect for it has enhanced the family cohesion and adaptability of family members from the
grandparent-grandchildren family. Third, in terms of the patterns of the self-esteem, the family cohesion and
the adaptability throughout the sessions, the study confirmed positive changes in those patterns. In the light
of that, the study understands how efficient the family art therapy is at enhancing the self-esteem and the
family function of family members from the grandparent-grandchildren families.