Tanya Filbert Recognised with India Icon Award 2026 for Distinguished Contribution to Research
Tanya Filbert, a researcher from Karnataka, has been recognised with the India Icon Award 2026 in the field of Research for her contribution to the study of trauma-informed art therapy and its potential role in supporting women survivors of domestic violence experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms. Her research reflects an interdisciplinary approach connecting social work, psychological well-being, trauma studies and visual arts. Through her published research, she has explored how structured creative activities may provide survivors with an additional avenue for emotional expression, reflection, coping and rebuilding a sense of identity. Her work demonstrates an interest in addressing complex social and psychological concerns through systematic research while also examining approaches that can complement existing support and counselling services.
One of the significant research contributions associated with Tanya Filbert is her study titled “Effectiveness of Trauma-Informed Art Therapy in Reducing PTSD Symptoms Among Women Survivors of Domestic Violence in Ernakulam, Kerala,” published in the ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts in 2026. The paper identifies domestic violence as a concern with consequences extending beyond physical harm, including psychological difficulties such as post-traumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, depression, reduced self-esteem, social isolation and challenges in interpersonal functioning. The study places particular attention on women who have experienced domestic violence and examines the possibility of using trauma-informed art therapy as a complementary intervention. The article was published in the July–December 2026 issue of the journal, with Tanya Filbert identified as the author and affiliated with the School of Social Work, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
The research is situated within an area where psychological recovery can be complicated by the continuing social and relational circumstances surrounding domestic violence. The study explains that survivors may experience a range of psychological consequences and that recovery may involve more than responding to immediate physical danger. Questions of safety, autonomy, identity, emotional expression and longer-term psychological functioning can also become important. In this context, the research investigates whether a structured, trauma-informed creative intervention could provide a useful complementary approach. The paper does not present art therapy as an automatic or standalone solution; instead, it places the intervention within a broader framework of psychological and social support.
A key feature of Tanya Filbert’s research is its mixed-methods design. The study used a single-group pre-test-post-test framework, combining quantitative measurement with qualitative exploration of participants’ experiences and artwork. The research involved 40 women between the ages of 27 and 35 who were residing in Ernakulam district, Kerala, had experienced domestic violence and demonstrated clinically significant PTSD symptoms according to the study’s criteria. Participants also provided informed consent and were required to be capable of participating safely in the intervention. The researchers treated the sample as a feasible preliminary cohort rather than a population-representative sample.
The quantitative component of the research used the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, commonly referred to as the PCL-5, to assess the severity of PTSD symptoms. The paper describes the PCL-5 as a 20-item self-report instrument corresponding to DSM-5 PTSD symptoms, with scores ranging from 0 to 80, where higher scores indicate greater symptom severity. Tanya Filbert’s research used the instrument to monitor changes between the beginning and conclusion of the eight-week intervention. The study also employed descriptive statistics, a paired-samples t-test, confidence intervals and Cohen’s dz to examine the observed change.
The intervention itself was structured around eight weekly sessions, with each session addressing a particular therapeutic theme. The first session focused on safety and stabilisation through a safe-place drawing activity. The second addressed identity through self-identity mapping, while the third focused on emotional expression through colour and emotion representation. The fourth session explored control and boundaries through personal-space artwork. The fifth focused on coping strength through a strength and resource collage, followed by a sixth session dealing with relationships and healthy-boundary visualisation. The seventh session concentrated on future orientation through future-self artwork, and the final session brought the programme together through reflective artwork and closure.
An important aspect of the intervention was its emphasis on safety, autonomy and voluntary expression. Participants were not required to recreate traumatic events through artwork. Instead, the programme was designed around themes that could support reflection and expression without requiring direct visual representation of traumatic experiences. This approach is significant within the research framework because it recognises that trauma-related interventions need to take account of participants’ safety and individual boundaries. The study therefore examines creative activity not simply as an artistic exercise but as a structured component of a broader trauma-informed process.
The quantitative findings reported in the paper provide one of the central components of the research. The mean PCL-5 score among the 40 participants declined from 54.30 before the intervention to 38.70 following the eight-week programme. This represented a mean reduction of 15.60 points and an approximately 28.7 percent reduction relative to the baseline mean. The paired-samples analysis reported a statistically significant pre-test to post-test difference, with t(39) = 11.58 and p < .001. The reported Cohen’s dz was 1.83, described in the paper as a large within-participant effect.
The study also examined participants according to the PCL-5 threshold used within the research framework. Before the intervention, all 40 participants were classified as being above the illustrative threshold. Following the intervention, 25 participants, or 62.5 percent, remained above the threshold, while 15 participants, or 37.5 percent, were classified below it. The paper therefore reports that 15 participants moved below the illustrative threshold after the intervention. These findings formed part of the study’s quantitative assessment of change.
Beyond numerical scores, the research also explored participants’ experiences through qualitative analysis. Five principal themes emerged: emotional expression, rebuilding personal identity, increased sense of control, development of coping strategies, and future orientation and hope. These themes add an important dimension to the research because they examine aspects of participants’ experiences that may not be fully represented by a numerical symptom score. The study reports that 32 participants, or 80 percent, were associated with the emotional-expression theme; 29, or 72.5 percent, with rebuilding personal identity; 27, or 67.5 percent, with increased sense of control; 31, or 77.5 percent, with coping strategies; and 26, or 65 percent, with future orientation and hope.
The theme of emotional expression was associated with participants’ use of colour, shape and imagery to represent emotions. According to the study, artwork moved in some cases from general representations of distress towards more differentiated representations of feelings such as fear, anger, sadness and hope. This finding illustrates one of the central ideas underlying the research: structured creative activity may provide a medium through which participants can communicate or explore emotional experiences. The study approaches this process as part of a therapeutic relationship rather than suggesting that the production of artwork itself automatically results in psychological recovery.
Another important theme was the reconstruction of personal identity. The research observed that later artwork increasingly centred on the individual rather than exclusively on the abusive relationship. The study interpreted this as suggesting a movement towards considering identity independently of the experience of victimisation. This aspect of the research broadens the discussion beyond symptom reduction and highlights the importance of personal identity and self-perception in the context of recovery from domestic violence.
The research also identified perceived control as a meaningful theme. Participants’ ability to select colours, modify images and decide whether or not to discuss particular pieces of artwork was associated with a sense of control over the therapeutic process. For individuals whose experiences may have involved loss of autonomy, the ability to make choices within a structured and supportive setting becomes an important aspect of the intervention explored in the study. The research therefore considers artistic choice as part of the process rather than treating the artwork only as an end product.
Coping strategies formed another major qualitative theme. Participants described drawing, painting and creative activity as possible strategies for managing distress. The research consequently considers the intervention not merely as expressive activity but as a potential coping mechanism. This finding contributes to the study’s wider discussion of how complementary approaches could potentially be incorporated into multidisciplinary services supporting survivors of domestic violence.
The fifth theme, future orientation and hope, was reflected in later artwork containing ideas relating to personal goals, safe environments and future aspirations. The study connected this development with the later sessions of the programme, which specifically focused on future orientation. This aspect of the research is significant because it reflects an approach to recovery that considers not only past experiences and present symptoms but also participants’ ability to imagine personal goals and possibilities for the future.
Tanya Filbert’s research also engages with the existing academic literature on art therapy and trauma. The paper notes that previous research has suggested potential benefits of art therapy while also pointing to limitations and methodological differences across studies. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis discussed in the paper examined 21 randomised controlled trials involving 868 participants. According to the study, visual arts therapy demonstrated a substantial effect for positive outcomes that were not specific to PTSD, while the pooled PTSD-specific effect did not reach conventional statistical significance. This context is important because it places the present research within an emerging evidence base rather than treating one study as conclusive proof of effectiveness.
The research identifies several gaps in the existing literature. It notes that relatively few studies have specifically examined art therapy among adult women experiencing PTSD associated with domestic violence. It also observes that directly relevant studies have often involved small samples and that comparatively little research combines quantitative PTSD measurement with qualitative investigation of survivors’ experiences within an Indian cultural setting. Tanya Filbert’s study addresses these areas by combining PCL-5 measurement with qualitative exploration of participants’ experiences and artwork within the context of Ernakulam, Kerala.
The geographical and cultural context of the research is another notable feature. Although Tanya Filbert is affiliated with the School of Social Work in Mangalore, Karnataka, the study itself focuses on women survivors residing in Ernakulam district, Kerala. This regional focus provides the research with a specific community setting in which the intervention was examined. The study’s objectives included examining the feasibility of implementing trauma-informed art therapy within a community setting in Ernakulam.
The paper also presents implications for social-work practice. It suggests that structured creative activities could potentially be considered as an adjunct to counselling within NGOs and women’s support organisations, particularly in circumstances where survivors may find direct verbal expression difficult. At the same time, the research explicitly states that art therapy should not replace evidence-based trauma-focused psychological treatment or psychiatric care. This distinction demonstrates the study’s complementary rather than replacement-oriented framework.
The research also identifies several directions for future investigation. These include larger samples, control or comparison groups, randomised designs where ethically and practically appropriate, follow-up assessments, culturally validated assessment instruments, multiple psychological outcome measures and monitoring of intervention fidelity. These recommendations demonstrate the researcher’s recognition that further empirical work is necessary to establish the circumstances under which trauma-informed art therapy may be useful and to distinguish intervention effects from other factors influencing recovery.
The limitations acknowledged in the paper are equally important. Because the study used a single-group pre-test-post-test design without a control group, the observed changes cannot be attributed exclusively to the intervention. Other factors, including concurrent counselling, changes in living circumstances, social support, regression to the mean or natural fluctuations in symptoms, could have contributed to the results. The geographical concentration of the sample in Ernakulam and the restricted age range of 27 to 35 years also limit generalisability. In addition, the researchers recognise the possibility of response bias in self-report measures and methodological challenges involved in interpreting artwork.
This methodological transparency strengthens the academic character of Tanya Filbert’s work. Rather than presenting the reported reduction in PTSD symptom scores as definitive evidence that art therapy independently treats PTSD, the paper explicitly states that the existing evidence remains inconclusive and calls for better-controlled research. The conclusion similarly describes the findings as supporting further investigation while recognising the limitations of the study design.
The broader significance of Tanya Filbert’s research lies in its attempt to connect creative expression with structured social-work and psychological research. Art, in this framework, is not considered simply as an artistic product but as a possible medium for communication, reflection and engagement within a carefully structured intervention. By combining quantitative measurement with qualitative themes, the research considers both measurable changes in PTSD symptom scores and participants’ reported experiences relating to identity, control, coping and future orientation.
Her research also illustrates the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary social concerns. Domestic violence involves interconnected social, psychological and community dimensions, and interventions addressing its consequences may require cooperation among social workers, counsellors, mental-health professionals, support organisations and researchers. Tanya Filbert’s study contributes to this broader conversation by examining a creative, trauma-informed approach within a defined community context.
The publication of the research in the ShodhKosh: Journal of Visual and Performing Arts further places her work within an academic platform that connects visual and performing arts with research. The article was received on 28 June 2026, accepted on 29 July 2026 and published on 22 August 2026.
Through this body of work, Tanya Filbert represents a research-oriented approach that brings together social work, trauma-informed practice and creative expression. Her study contributes data from a defined cohort, employs both quantitative and qualitative methods, identifies measurable changes in PTSD symptom scores and explores participants’ experiences through five central themes. At the same time, it maintains an appropriate distinction between promising findings and established evidence, calling for larger and better-controlled studies in the future.
The India Icon Award 2026 recognition in Research therefore highlights Tanya Filbert’s contribution to an area of inquiry that addresses a significant social and psychological issue through an interdisciplinary lens. Her work demonstrates how research can examine innovative complementary approaches while remaining attentive to methodology, participant safety, evidence limitations and the need for continued investigation. Her study’s focus on emotional expression, identity, control, coping and future orientation provides a multifaceted perspective on the challenges faced by women survivors of domestic violence and on the potential role of structured creative interventions in support settings.
Tanya Filbert’s research journey, as represented by this publication, reflects a commitment to examining complex human experiences through systematic inquiry. By bringing together empirical measurement and qualitative exploration, her work adds to ongoing discussions around trauma-informed care and creative approaches in social-work contexts. The India Icon Award 2026 acknowledges this research contribution and places her work among efforts seeking to expand understanding of how interdisciplinary and culturally responsive approaches can be explored in addressing challenging social and psychological concerns.
