  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.
