Counseling E-Resource Guide: Searching for Art Therapy Ebooks

There is a distinct lack of art therapy literature on working with adults with autism spectrum disorders, and this book combats this dearth by looking at the theory and practice of working with this client group. With clinical case examples throughout, it provides ideas for practice and interventions for use in institutional and community settings. There is a useful focus on directives to help with specific concerns, for example college and job readiness, social skills, and adapting to independent living. The book also includes information on ASD itself and gives advice on developmental and neurological considerations to take into account when working with this client group.

Recent research has shown that art therapy can be particularly effective for children with autism and related communication disorders. The extensive range of symptoms experienced by autistic people makes them extremely individual in presentation, so any treatment used must be tailored to a range of varying needs. Art Therapy with Children on the Autistic Spectrum presents a new model of practice, which primarily focuses on communication difficulties. The authors describe how negative behaviours and subsequent tension may be alleviated when the autistic child is involved in interactive art making with the therapist. The book is divided into three parts: the first part explores art making processes and art work, with an emphasis on how art can be specifically communicative. A history of autism is presented within the therapeutic context. The second part challenges existing methods of practice within art therapy and considers the most appropriate approaches to treating autistic children. The last part discusses research that lead to the formulation of this specific model - methodology and assessment interventions are analysed, as well as the ongoing development of appropriate assessment instruments. Case studies of art therapy with individual autistic children demonstrate the use of the model and the outcomes. Throughout the book, it is emphasised how art therapy works as an integral part of overall management and treatment approaches to autism. It will be of particular interest to all those professionals working with autistic children and specialists in other communication disorders.

Medical Art Therapy with Children is a ground-breaking book, the first work to tackle this rapidly growing field. It will be an essential resource for professionals, psychologists, counsellors, play therapists and art therapists working with physically ill children on a day-to-day basis. Medical art therapy is defined as the use of drawings, art expression and imagery with individuals who are physically ill or disabled, or are undergoing aggressive medical treatment such as surgery or chemotherapy. Children in such situations may find it easier to express their emotions, and their fears, through art than through strictly verbal channels. Art making may be a less threatening form of communication: it also encourages the building of a trusting relationship with a clinician. In order to use art therapy effectively with children, clinicians must have practical resources to help them understand the use of art expressions in treatment. Equally important is information on how to choose art tasks for particular goals and on how to help children express themselves through art expression. This collection of contributions, by eminent art therapists, will provide just such a resource. Drawing on case material from a variety of situations, the book describes current research on medical art therapy with children, and practical approaches to using art activities with them. The writers examine art therapy with young patients suffering from burns, cancer, asthma, arthritis, eating disorders and HIV/AIDS.

Working with Children in Art Therapy is a collection of papers by ten art therapists working in the major child care agencies as part of a professional team. Each paper describes a different theoretical perspective and clinical setting with an emphasis on the language of art in art therapy and ways of understanding non-verbal communication. Contributions cover working with children in psychiatric clinics within the National Health Service, in mainstream and special schools, and in the social services.

Including contributions from some of the leading art therapists in Britain, this important book addresses the key issues in the theory and practice of art therapy. The fundamental significance of the art in art therapy practice permeates the book, close attention being paid by several writers to the art-making process and the aesthetic responses of therapist and client. Other authors explore the tensions between art and therapy, images and speech, subjectivity and objectivity, arguing that the dynamic interplay between these elements is inherent to the practice of art therapy. The role of containment is another theme that is explored by contributors in a variety of ways to highlight the importance not only of the therapeutic containment of the client by the therapist, but also the containment of the therapist. The physical contexts of the session, within an art room and within the larger working environment, are identified as important arenas where conflict and tension is experienced and must be explored if art therapy is to continue to develop.

This ground-breaking book explores the theoretical, clinical and training application of integrating mindfulness with all of the arts therapies, and includes cutting-edge contributions from neuroscience. Written by pioneers and leaders in the arts therapies and psychology fields, the book includes 6 sections that examine mindfulness and the arts therapies from different perspectives: 1) the history and roots of mindfulness in relation to spirituality, psychotherapy and the arts therapies; 2) the role of the expressive arts in cultivating mindful awareness; 3) innovative approaches that add mindfulness to the arts therapies; 4) arts therapies approaches that are inherently mindfulness-based; 5) mindfulness in the training and education of arts therapists; and 6) the neuroscience underlying mindfulness and the arts therapies.   Contributors describe their pioneering work with diverse applications: people with cancer, trauma, chronic pain, substance abuse, severe mental illness, clients in private practice, adolescents at camp, training dance and art therapists, and more. This rich resource will inspire and rejuvenate all clinicians and educators.

Challenging traditional therapeutic approaches to the arts in which art is often secondary to a psychological model, Principles and Practice of Expressive Arts Therapy provides a coherent theoretical framework for an expressive arts therapy practice that places the process of art-making and the art work itself at the center. This book lays the philosophical foundation for a fresh interpretation of art-making and the therapeutic process by re-examining the concept of poiesis. The authors clarify the methodology and theory of practice with a focus on intermodal therapy, crystallization theory and polyaesthetics, and give guidance on the didactics of acquiring practical skills. Case studies of clinical practice and guidance on supervision and training in intermodal expressive arts therapy complement the theoretical chapters. Combining philosophy, theory and practice, this book is an essential text for students and academics in the field and for practicing expressive and specialized arts therapists.