Mimmu Rankanen

Affiliated Researcher

Dr. Mimmu Rankanen has worked in the field of art education since 2000 in various positions, such as the full-time lecturer of art, health and well-being. Currently she works as a part-time lecturer teaching pedagogical interaction skills and courses related to socio-emotional and therapeutic effects of art in the context of art education. Her research interests include intrapersonal and interpersonal learning and development in the contexts of art education, art- and psychotherapy. During 2016, she worked as a doctoral and postdoctoral researcher in the “Handling Mind – Creativity, Embodiment and Design” research project funded by the Academy of Finland. Her publications include international journal and book articles as well as a Finnish handbook of art-based art therapy. She in the board of Taiten (the Advisory Board of Art Therapy Field) and is representing Finland in N.E.A.T (Network of European Art Therapists). She has given numerous presentations at international conferences and been invited to lecture in multiple international Bachelors and Master’s Degree Programs as well as professional art therapy associations.

She defended her doctoral studies in September 2016. Her doctoral dissertation – The Visible Spectrum: Participants’ experiences of the process and impacts of art therapy – is a practice-based research that explores art therapy users’ experiences in the contexts of adult education and psychotherapy. The article style dissertation consists of two single case studies and two qualitative content analysis studies that utilise multiple participants narratives (N=68) and a survey (N=51).