Use the therapeutic potential of art to make progress in your practice Artful Therapy shows you how to use art to make a difference in therapy. Using visual imagery and art creation, you can help people with medical problems understand how they feel about their illness; victims of abuse "tell without talking"; and substance abuse and eating disorder clients tap into unresolved issues. These are just a few examples of how the power of art can improve your practice. Ideal for mental health professionals and allied workers with little or no art background, this accessible and proven guide takes you through the techniques of using art and visual imagery, and shows you how they can benefit clients of varying ages and abilities. With the art therapy tools provided, you can open potentially groundbreaking new dialogues with your clients. Author Judith Aron Rubin draws on more than forty years experience as an art therapist to help you maximize the value of art as a therapeutic tool, in both the mental health disciplines, such as psychology and social work, and related specialties. An accompanying DVD contains models for practitioners, showing art therapy being used in actual clinical practice. The DVD clearly models: * Initiating the art-making process * Using art in assessment * Using mental imagery, with or without art * Implementing other art forms--such as drama and music--in therapy * Using art with a variety of client types, including children, families, and groups * Assigning art as "homework" Whether or not you have used art therapy with your clients or are thinking about integrating art therapy in your practice, making the most of art in the clinical setting begins with Artful Therapy.

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.

It can be difficult to be spontaneous during every art therapy group. It is helpful to have a resource full of creative and inspiring ideas that can be utilized as needed. This broad-ranging collection of projects injects variety into art therapy sessions. A Practical Art Therapy is written in an easy-to-read format that is filled with practical creative experiences for therapists to use with individuals and groups. Chapters cover various media and methods, including murals, collages, sculpture and drawing, making it easily accessible for even the busiest therapist. Susan Buchalter includes practical art projects using everyday objects, and follows them through with a list of materials needed, a procedure plan and aims of the project. The creative exercises draw on situations and ideas that children and adults can relate to - for example, drawing wishes and goals, sculpting their own stress and creating a collage self-portrait. The author suggests ways of expanding art-making activities, such as drawing to music and creating personal logos. This book is suitable for those new to the arts therapies field, practising art therapists, counselors and social workers.

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.

Describing an outstanding example of the use of forensic art therapy in a criminal case, David Gussak, contracted by the defence to analyse the evidence in this instance, recounts his findings and presentation in court, as well as the future implications of his work for criminal proceedings.

Use the therapeutic potential of art to make progress in your practice Artful Therapy shows you how to use art to make a difference in therapy. Using visual imagery and art creation, you can help people with medical problems understand how they feel about their illness; victims of abuse "tell without talking"; and substance abuse and eating disorder clients tap into unresolved issues. These are just a few examples of how the power of art can improve your practice. Ideal for mental health professionals and allied workers with little or no art background, this accessible and proven guide takes you through the techniques of using art and visual imagery, and shows you how they can benefit clients of varying ages and abilities. With the art therapy tools provided, you can open potentially groundbreaking new dialogues with your clients. Author Judith Aron Rubin draws on more than forty years experience as an art therapist to help you maximize the value of art as a therapeutic tool, in both the mental health disciplines, such as psychology and social work, and related specialties. An accompanying DVD contains models for practitioners, showing art therapy being used in actual clinical practice. The DVD clearly models: * Initiating the art-making process * Using art in assessment * Using mental imagery, with or without art * Implementing other art forms--such as drama and music--in therapy * Using art with a variety of client types, including children, families, and groups * Assigning art as "homework" Whether or not you have used art therapy with your clients or are thinking about integrating art therapy in your practice, making the most of art in the clinical setting begins with Artful Therapy.

Art Therapy for Social Justice seeks to open a conversation about the cultural turn in art therapy to explore the critical intersection of social change and social justice. By moving the practice of art therapy beyond standard individualized treatment models, the authors promote scholarship and dialogue that opens boundaries; they envision cross disciplinary approaches with a focus on intersectionality through the lens of black feminism, womanism, antiracism, queer theory, disability studies, and cultural theory. In particular, specific programs are highlighted that re-conceptualize art therapy practice away from a focus on pathology towards "models of caring" based on concepts of self-care, radical caring, hospitality, and restorative practice methodologies. Each chapter takes a unique perspective on the concept of "care" that is invested in wellbeing. The authors push the boundaries of what constitutes art in art therapy, re-conceptualizing notions of care and wellbeing as an ongoing process, emphasizing the importance of self-reflexivity, and reconsidering the power of language and art in trauma narratives.