# "When He Feels Cold, He Goes to the Seahorse"-Blending Generative AI into Multimaterial Storymaking for Family Expressive Arts Therapy

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.06472 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.06472/

## Key facts

- Cited by 3 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 6 of its 132 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 9 Feb 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11239/) (2020)
- [Generative Adversarial Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.00667/) (2022)
- [RePrompt: Automatic Prompt Editing to Refine AI-Generative Art Towards Precise Expressions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.09466/) (2023)
- [StoryBuddy: A Human-AI Collaborative Chatbot for Parent-Child Interactive Storytelling with Flexible Parental Involvement](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.06205/) (2022)
- [A Word is Worth a Thousand Pictures: Prompts as AI Design Material](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.12647/) (2023)
- [Family Theories in Child-Robot Interactions: Understanding Families as a Whole for Child-Robot Interaction Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.02723/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Toyteller: AI-powered Visual Storytelling Through Toy-Playing with Character Symbols](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.13284/) (2025)
- [The AI-Therapist Duo: Exploring the Potential of Human-AI Collaboration in Personalized Art Therapy for PICS Intervention](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.09757/) (2025)
- [The Role of Generative AI in Facilitating Social Interactions: A Scoping Review](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.10927/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Storymaking, as an integrative form of expressive arts therapy, is an effective means to foster family communication. Yet, the integration of generative AI as expressive materials in therapeutic storymaking remains underexplored. And there is a lack of HCI implications on how to support families and therapists in this context. Addressing this, our study involved five weeks of storymaking sessions with seven families guided by a professional therapist. In these sessions, the families used both traditional art-making materials and image-based generative AI to create and evolve their family stories. Via the rich empirical data and commentaries from four expert therapists, we contextualize how families creatively melded AI and traditional expressive materials to externalize their ideas and feelings. Through the lens of Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC), we characterize the therapeutic implications of AI as expressive materials. Desirable interaction qualities to support children, parents, and therapists are distilled for future HCI research.