This book provides a practical and research-based exploration of virtual art psychotherapy, and how its innovations are breaking new ground in the mental health field. With seventeen chapters authored by leaders documenting their research on creative arts therapies online, along with findings from the Virtual Art Therapy Clinic, this volume presents examples, strategies, and experiences delivering arts-based therapeutic services and online education. Clinical practice examples support and provide evidence for the transition from in-person to virtual sessions. By combining the collected expertise of all the contributing authors, this book encourages art therapists to support further growth in the field of virtual art therapy.

The Art Therapist’s Guide to Social Media offers the art therapy community a guide that addresses content related to social media use, its growing influence, and the impact social networking has on the profession and work of art therapists. This book presents a framework of relevant theories, best practices, and examples to explore existing and emerging areas of social networking's power for art therapists as practitioners and artists. Divided into three sections that highlight the themes of connection, community, and creativity, chapters explore timely topics such as the professional use of social media, ethical considerations, potential benefits and challenges, and strategies to embrace the possibilities that social media can create for the field worldwide. Art therapists in training, art therapy educators and supervisors, and practicing art therapists will find content in this text helpful for their learning and professional practice.

Considering the latest advances and developments in the arena of digital media, this book explores current materials, methods and applications of digital technology in art therapy. It looks thoroughly at the many potential uses and benefits of digital technology in art therapy practice, including the use of stop motion animation and therapeutic light painting photography. A worked example of how digital art therapy can be used in the treatment of traumatic brain injury is also included. The book explores innovative therapeutic uses of digital technologies such as gaming and virtual worlds. Contributions from experienced art therapists address professional and ethical issues, from the sensory qualities of digital media and their effects in practice, to identifying and using developmentally appropriate technologies. As art therapy programs increasingly recognize the importance of using digital media, this cutting-edge guide provides all the necessary knowledge to incorporate this emerging field into practice.

Interest in the use of digital technology in art therapy has grown significantly in recent years. This book provides an authoritative overview of the applications of digital art therapy with different client groups and considers the implications for practice. Alongside Cathy Malchiodi, the contributors review the pros and cons of introducing digital technology into art therapy, address the potential ethical and professional issues that can arise and give insight into the effect of digital technology on the brain. They cover a wide range of approaches, from therapeutic filmmaking to the use of tablet and smartphone technology in therapy. Detailed case studies bring the practicalities of using digital technology with children, adolescents and adults to life and the use of social media in art therapy practice, networking and community-building is also discussed.

Attachment Informed Art Therapy is an innovative art therapy approach that provides the therapist with the theories and applications to work with all populations with troubled or abusive relationships. This book will provide art therapists and mental health professionals with a solid visible and empirically-grounded conceptual framework. It will be useful to professionals who use attachment theory in clinical work, and will make an excellent single source for therapists working with populations of all ages from birth to death. John Bowlby's findings and other leading research in the attachment field, form the foundation of the theories behind Lucille Proulx, MA, ATR, RCAT the Attachment Informed Art Therapy interventions.

This is a creative workbook for individuals who want to explore their relationship with food and their bodies in a new way. It is based on the idea that art is one of the most powerful inroads to psychological healing through the fostering self-expression, insight, and empowerment. Creativity connects us to our inner voice; healing occurs when we listen.Written by board-certified art psychotherapists, the pages of this workbook literally serve as a canvas for thoughts and feelings ¿spoken¿ primarily through art and elaborated upon through writing. Readers are encouraged to draw, write, and create directly in the book. These images, symbols, and journal entries then become a ¿personal signature¿ that can be accessed and explored to resolve any obstacles to emotional well-being. Fifty-eight expressive art projects and corresponding written exercises lead readers through specific stages of self-discovery related to disordered eating patterns, body image issues, relationships, life skills, emotions, self love, and personal transformation. These various tasks can be completed independently, in conjunction with individual therapy, in a treatment facility or self-help group, or in an educational setting. A list of basic, inexpensive materials is provided.This workbook is appropriate not only for individuals who are seeking answers to a variety of issues with food and weight, but also for the professionals who want innovative materials to use with clients in the recovery process.

While film and video has long been used within psychological practice, researchers and practitioners have only just begun to explore the benefits of film and video production as therapy. This volume describes a burgeoning area of psychotherapy which employs the art of filmmaking and digital storytelling as a means of healing victims of trauma and abuse. It explores the ethical considerations behind this process, as well as its cultural and developmental implications within clinical psychology. Grounded in clinical theory and methodology, this multidisciplinary volume draws on perspectives from anthropology, psychiatry, psychology, and art therapy which support the use and integration of film/video-based therapy in practice.

Presents new ways in which art therapy is being used. Describes a wealth of cases where art therapy has been used with bereaved children, refugees, psychotics, psychosomatic patients, and many others. Discusses a variety of methods employed by art therapists, including the creative use of photography, video, computers, and psychodrama. Describes ways of introducing art therapy to children, and a new method of working with depressed patients. Also covers training issues, such as countertransference through art-making, using art in supervision, and training in termination.

Unlocked tells the stories of ten different people in therapy in various cultural and geographical contexts - from Saudi Arabia to Venice or New York. Each narrative explores a unique presenting situation and uncovers the complexities of the therapeutic experience. All therapeutic work described in this book happens online. Inspired by real client sessions, the therapist narrator and the clients' stories are fictionalized for privacy. Rather than presenting a barrier, Unlocked demonstrates how a curious and skilled therapist can make the most of the unexpected gifts that the 'screen' offers--be it the intrusion of a pet, a parent breaking into the session, or a client taking her therapist for a ride outside. Therapeutic conversations that happen on the screen have a surprising close-up quality; these stories convey the renewed intimacy and intensity of such practice and present new possibilities for the therapeutic process. They will be of interest not only to therapists who are transitioning their practice online but also to those considering therapy or curious about the therapeutic process.

A body-focused, trauma-informed art therapy that will appeal to art therapists, somatic experiencing practitioners, bodyworkers, artists, and mental health professionals While art therapy traditionally focuses on therapeutic image-making and the cognitive or symbolic interpretation of these creations, Cornelia Elbrecht instructs readers how to facilitate the body-focused approach of guided drawing. Clients draw with both hands and eyes closed as they focus on their felt sense. Physical pain, tension, and emotions are expressed without words through bilateral scribbles. Clients then, with an almost massage-like approach, find movements that soothe their pain, discharge inner tension and emotions, and repair boundary breaches. Archetypal shapes allow therapists to safely structure the experience in a nonverbal way. Sensorimotor art therapy is a unique and self-empowering application of somatic experiencing--it is both body-focused and trauma-informed in approach--and assists clients who have experienced complex traumatic events to actively respond to overwhelming experiences until they feel less helpless and overwhelmed and are then able to repair their memories of the past. Elbrecht provides readers with the context of body-focused, trauma-informed art therapy and walks them through the thinking behind and process of guided drawing--including 100 full-color images from client sessions that serve as helpful examples of the work.