Two authorities on popular culture reveal the ways in which art can enhance mood and enrich lives - now available in paperback This passionate, thought-provoking, often funny, and always-accessible book proposes a new way of looking at art, suggesting that it can be useful, relevant, and therapeutic. Through practical examples, the world-renowned authors argue that certain great works of art have clues as to how to manage the tensions and confusions of modern life. Chapters on love, nature, money, and politics show how art can help with many common difficulties, from forging good relationships to coming to terms with mortality.

Craft in Art Therapy is the first book dedicated to illustrating the incorporation of craft materials and methods into art therapy theory and practice. Contributing authors provide examples of how they have used a range of crafts including pottery, glass work, textiles (sewing, knitting, crochet, embroidery, and quilting), paper (artist books, altered books, book binding, origami, and zines), leatherwork, and Indian crafts like mendhi and kolam/rangoli in their own art and self-care, and in individual, group, and community art therapy practice. The book explores the therapeutic benefits of a range of craft materials and media, as well as craft’s potential to build community, to support individuals in caring for themselves and each other, and to play a valuable role in art therapy practice. Craft in Art Therapy demonstrates that when practiced in a culturally sensitive and socially conscious manner, craft practices are more than therapeutic—they also hold transformational potential.

"Revised and updated with new exercises"--Cover.

Art Therapy Techniques and Applications contains an original composite of therapeutic goals and evocative ideas that can be used with a wide variety of clients. This book is filled with innovative suggestions and plans that are easily implemented: from brief warm-ups to stretch the imagination, and collage and mask creations to assist the expression of mood, to guidance on combining modalities such as art, metaphors and movement, mindfulness exercises, and using computer programs to enhance art therapy projects. Clear and concise, this is an indispensable reference guide for the therapist who wants to improve focus, develop problem-solving skills, and add creativity to their group work. This book will appeal to art therapists, art therapy students and professors, counselors, and social workers.

one of very few books that deal with the electronic media in art therapy editor and contributors are top scholars in the field

THE ART OF THERAPY Offers a practical approach to the therapist’s task, from the perspective of a 35-year veteran of private practice. This book debunks some of the most traditional rituals and hidebound conventions of the consulting-room, for example the myth of confidentiality, the master-slave relationship of therapist to client, and the tendency of therapy to continue until the client runs out of money to pay for it. New techniques and intervention strategies are presented, drawn from the Mental Research Institute’s international view of problem causation and solution-oriented methods of change. Psychotherapy is an art. Good therapy is good art. Great therapy is everlasting art, like the Mona Lisa.

Foundations of Art Therapy: Theory and Applications is an essential and comprehensive introduction to art therapy research and practice that blends relevant psychological and neuroscience research, theories and concepts and infuses cultural diversity throughout each chapter. The book is divided into four parts that start with the foundations of art therapy knowledge and ends with professional practices in art therapy. Readers will learn about the fundamentals of art therapy, founders, materials, multicultural perspectives, intersections with neuroscience, theoretical approaches, art therapy and the brain, the self and the community, with specific populations (children, mental health, older adults, and trauma). The book concludes with professional practices in art therapy by exploring group concepts, community-based art therapy, and how to develop a career in art therapy. Each chapter contains practical applications, ethical scope of practice, reflection questions, and experiential exercises. This unique, practical and interdisciplinary approach provides a solid base for understanding the field of art therapy and therefore is a significant contribution to the field.

Edith Kramer is one of the pioneers in the field of art therapy, known and respected throughout the world. This collection of papers reflects her lifetime of work in this field, showing how her thoughts and practice have developed over the years. She considers a wide spectrum of issues, covering art, art therapy, society, ethology and clinical practice and placing art therapy in its social and historical context. Drawing on her very considerable personal experience as an art therapist, Kramer illustrates her conviction that art making is central to practice and cautions against making words primary and art secondary in art therapy. Art as Therapy offers a rare insight into the personal development of one of the world's leading art therapists and the development of art therapy as a profession. It will make fascinating reading for anyone interested in art therapy.

Art as Therapy introduces the theory and practice of art therapy in a concise, accessible and informative way. Tessa Dalley's introduction gives an overview of basic issues, research and development. Subsequent chapters, written by specialists, are chosen to demonstrate the ways in which art therapy can be applied to different client groups, in a variety of clinical settings. These include children, adolescents suffering from anorexia nervosa, the mentally handicapped, the elderly and terminally ill, those in psychiatric hospitals and prison inmates. Illustrated case studies provide visual explanations for the art therapy processes and the final chapter discusses training for the profession. Art as Therapy has been welcomed by art therapists, social workers, psychologists, nurses and teachers.

Combining detailed case material and over 80 examples of patients' work, the author describes how the symbolic image and the style in which it is represented often relate to a particular stage in the integration of painful experiences. As the image and the style change, so does the individual, who discovers previously untapped sources of creativity and inner strength. Drawing on theoretical insights of Jung, Balint, Milner, Winnicott and others, R. M. Simon brings to life the different ways in which patients experience art therapy and the shifting role of the therapist responding to their needs.