As more hospitals and medical centers begin to recognize the importance of incorporating art therapy into their services, information about working with the pediatric population is a necessity. This collection offers essential guidance for art therapists on the practice of medical art therapy with children and young people, and the role of the art therapist in working alongside medical staff.

Drawing on case material from a variety of situations, the book describes medical research on medical art therapy with children, and practical approaches to using art activities with them. The text looks at children with burns, HIV, asthma and cancer.

Even in the face of challenging conditions, art therapy treatment offers meaningful opportunities for growth. It’s not always easy, though, to navigate the complex interplay of art processes, relational states, and developmental theories. For any clinician looking for guidance on the ins and outs of using art therapy with children, there is no better resource than The Practitioner’s Guide to Child Art Therapy. Both graduate students and professionals will find its pages replete with strategies for developing engaging and effective tools for understanding children’s creative expression and applying this understanding toward treatment. Clinically relevant and theoretically sound, this book synthesizes the best of the literature on art development, art therapy and child development, while emphasizing the powerful role of art media in fostering creativity and relational growth. Compelling case material and numerous art examples illustrate psychosocial, neurobiological, and attachment theories as well as practical applications, including working with attachment disruptions, anxiety, grief, parental conflict, economic poverty, chemical dependency, child abuse, and autism spectrum disorder.

Children of violence need to be heard. Unable or unwilling to verbalize their suffering, abused children are often immobilized by fear, rage, guilt, and pain. In the second edition of Breaking the Silence: Art Therapy with Children from Violent Homes , Cathy Malchiodi demonstrates the unique power of art therapy as a tool for intervening with children from violent backgrounds. In this new edition, she describes the intervention process from intake to termination, noting the complex issues involved at various levels of evaluation and interpretation. Bringing her years of experience in working at battered women's shelters to bear on the subject, Ms. Malchiodi brings the language of art therapy to life--a language of art that gives children a voice and those who work with them, a way of listening. The emphasis here is on the short-term setting where time is at a premium and circumstances are unpredictable. It is within this setting that mental health practitioners often experience frustration and a sense of helplessness in their work with the youngest victims of abusive families. Since the first edition of this book was published, research has led to some new ideas related to sexual abuse. The author analyzes several issues concerning the treatment of sexually abused children and art expressions of sexually abused children. In addition, Ms. Malchiodi launches a discussion about the ethical issues in the use of children's art as a whole. Featured throughout the book are 95 drawings by abused children. These drawings are at once poignant and hopeful, clearly representing the extraordinary suffering that abused children experience at, at the same time, showing that they can be reached. Because the practice of art therapy methods has been integrated into many disciplines, the final chapter covers development of art therapy programs for children. The author shares information on art supplied, space, and storage ideas. For art therapists, social workers, and other practitioners who work with children in crisis, this book presents a practical methodology for intervention that fosters the compassion and insight necessary to reveal what words cannot.

This practical resource demonstrates how all clinicians can broaden and enhance their work with children by integrating drawing into therapy. The book enables therapists to address the multidimensional aspects of children's art without resorting to simplistic explanations. Approaching drawing as a springboard for communication and change, Malchiodi offers a wealth of guidelines for understanding the intricate messages embedded in children's drawings and in the art-making process itself. Topics covered include how to assist children in making art, what questions to ask and when, and how to motivate children who are initially resistant to drawing. Assimilating extensive research and clinical experience, the book includes over 100 examples of children's work.

An innovative guide to the practice of art therapy Since 1978, Judith Aron Rubin's Child Art Therapy has become the classic text for conducting art therapy with children. Twenty-five years later, the book still stands as the reference for mental health professionals who incorporate art into their practice. Now, with the publication of this fully updated and revised Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition, which includes a DVD that illustrates art therapy techniques in actual therapy settings, this pioneering guide is available to train, inform, and inspire a new generation of art therapists and those seeking to introduce art therapy into their clinical practice. The text illustrates how to: Set the conditions for creative growth, assess progress, and set goals for therapy Use art in individual, group, and family situations, including parent-child pairings, mothers' groups, and adolescent groups Work with healthy children and those with disabilities Guide parents through art and play Talk about art work and encourage art production Decode nonverbal messages contained in art and the art-making process Use scribbles, drawings, stories, poems, masks, and other methods to facilitate expression Understand why and how art therapy works Along with the useful techniques and activities described, numerous case studies taken from Rubin's years of practice add a vital dimension to the text, exploring how art therapy works in the real world of children's experience. Original artwork from clients and the author illuminate the material throughout. Written by an internationally recognized art therapist, Child Art Therapy, Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition is a comprehensive guide for learning about, practicing, and refining child art therapy.

An innovative guide to the practice of art therapy Since 1978, Judith Aron Rubin's Child Art Therapy has become the classic text for conducting art therapy with children. Twenty-five years later, the book still stands as the reference for mental health professionals who incorporate art into their practice. Now, with the publication of this fully updated and revised Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition, which includes a DVD that illustrates art therapy techniques in actual therapy settings, this pioneering guide is available to train, inform, and inspire a new generation of art therapists and those seeking to introduce art therapy into their clinical practice. The text illustrates how to: Set the conditions for creative growth, assess progress, and set goals for therapy Use art in individual, group, and family situations, including parent-child pairings, mothers' groups, and adolescent groups Work with healthy children and those with disabilities Guide parents through art and play Talk about art work and encourage art production Decode nonverbal messages contained in art and the art-making process Use scribbles, drawings, stories, poems, masks, and other methods to facilitate expression Understand why and how art therapy works Along with the useful techniques and activities described, numerous case studies taken from Rubin's years of practice add a vital dimension to the text, exploring how art therapy works in the real world of children's experience. Original artwork from clients and the author illuminate the material throughout. Written by an internationally recognized art therapist, Child Art Therapy, Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Edition is a comprehensive guide for learning about, practicing, and refining child art therapy.

Expressive therapy promotes children's capacity to heal from early trauma by helping them process painful experiences over time at progressively more mature levels of understanding. Relying on excellent coping skills that have helped them survive, children in therapy are often invested in not talking due to the highly defended nature of their problems, or perhaps the need to protect a parent through silence. Alternative means of expression are often necessary. Dr. Klorer's work allows children to communicate intense feelings in ways that are natural to them, through art and play, not solely by verbalization. In treatment, children are helped to develop their own means of creative expression through idiosyncratic symbols, stories, and repetitive themes that both express and contain their pain. In addition to a means of communication, art can be used in therapy to assess levels of emotional and cognitive functioning, object relations, developmental tasks, strengths, and defense mechanisms. Expressive therapy, which integrates object relations theory, attachment theory, and cognitive development, can be applied to family assessment and treatment as well. Professionals who work with children will welcome this book as it offers sensitive and creative ways to help even their most challenging patients.