Stroke can affect the physical, emotional and social aspects of the patient and their family members. It is the main cause of complex disability, with a high number of people living with its effects. Stroke can result in impairments in motor function, language, cognition, sensory processing, cognition, and emotional disturbances, which can affect the performance of functional activities and mental health status. Getting patients involved in art therapy (AT) class has shown to alleviate stress and promote a sense of wellbeing, which can aid their recovery and rehabilitation. The benefits of art therapy for people living with different health conditions worldwide have been reported, however, its effect on Egyptian patients with stroke has been neglected.

Art therapy refers to a group of techniques including painting, drawing and listening to music. The participants will receive the program on three steps (early step, middle step, and late step). These steps aim to train the participants on the AT from simple to complex and motivate them to engage in the AT program.Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of art therapy on cognitive ability, arm activity and mental health status of patients with stroke.

Inclusion Criteria:

• able to sit upright, supported or unsupported,
• oriented to time and place by using the adapted Arabic Memory Screening Test,
• able to perform at least two of the following skills: drinking from a cup, eating with a spoon and taking money from a purse by the affected arm, and
• will stay in the stroke unit to at least 4 days (for receiving three sessions out of all sessions) before discharge,

Exclusion Criteria:

• diagnosis of transient ischemic attack or brain stem stroke;
• unconscious;
• unable to provide informed consent;
• hemodynamical unstable medical conditions, including fever;
• serious infectious diseases, for example, viral hepatitis or HIV; and/or
• severe dementia or uncontrolled psychiatric problems.