Art therapy assessments are tools that provide mental health clinicians with diagnostic information about clients. This study explored the Person Picking an Apple from a Tree (PPAT) assessment (Gantt & Tabone, 1998). The PPAT assessment is a standardized drawing task that can be evaluated on 14 formal element scales to distinguish groups of clients with Axis-I diagnoses. The purpose of the research was to identify the characteristic formal element variables in PPAT drawings for a normative population.

Previous research indicated that the PPAT tool needed to be strengthened by establishing baseline normative data (Gantt, 2001; Gantt & Tabone, 1998). PPAT norms have been collected on non-client populations; however, they were small samples and lacked diversity.

In the current study, the PPAT assessment was administered to a sample (N = 100) of college students. The sample was matched to the U.S. Census of college students for gender and ethnicity. PPAT drawings were scored according to the Formal Element Art Therapy Scale (FEATS) Rating Manual. Inter-rater reliability was established on the assessment instrument for 13 of the 14 FEATS scales.

The findings identified normative qualities that emerged in the formal element variables of non-client PPAT drawings. Some differences in gender, ethnicity, and artistic experience emerged on specific FEATS scales. The statistical results of the study determined a cluster of FEATS characteristics attributable to non-clients. Findings in this research study can assist clinicians with assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning. Furthermore, results can aid future research initiatives and contribute to knowledge in the field of art therapy.