An expert in art therapy offers this "wonderful" guide "for anyone, artistic or not, who is interested in using art to know more about himself or herself"(Library Journal) Making art-giving form to the images that arise in our mind's eye, our dreams, and our everyday lives-is a form of spiritual practice through which knowledge of ourselves can ripen into wisdom. This book offers encouragement for everyone to explore art-making in this spirit of self-discovery-plus practical instructions on material, methods, and activities, such as ways to- . Discover a personal myth or story . Recognize patterns and themes in one's life . Identify and release painful memories . Combine journaling and image making . Practice the ancient skill of active imagination . Connect with others through sharing one's art works Interwoven with this guidance is the intimate story of the author's own journey as a student, art therapist, teacher, wife, mother, and artist-and, most of all, as a woman who discovered a profound and healing connection with her soul through making art.
This is the type of book instructors, trainees, and clinicians need--a short text that demystifies the case conceptualization process and provides a streamlined method for learning and mastering this competency. It presents an integrative model for conceptualizing cases, dispels common myths about case conceptualization, and provides straightforward guidelines and strategies for mastering this essential competency. Writing clinically useful case conceptualizations is no longer optional today, and this training guide is the only resource you will need to increase your expertise and incorporate this competency in professional practice. Five detailed clinical case studies are referred to throughout the book, and exercises are presented at the end of the last five chapters to help readers in deriving Cognitive-Behavioral, Dynamic, Solution-Focused, Biopsychosocial, and Adlerian case conceptualizations from an integrative assessment. Drs. Len and Jonathan Sperry also address cultural sensitivity and offer guidelines for developing cultural conceptualizations and selecting culturally-sensitive treatments. All techniques are easy to understand and use, ensuring that readers will master this competency and feel confident applying it to difficult cases.
This book presents a model of art therapy where the processes of art constitute the core of the model. It addresses how an arts-based approach can inform the therapist in all aspects of practice, from the conception of the work and the attempt to understand client needs to interacting with clients and communicating with others about art therapy.
The third edition of Approaches to Art Therapy brings together varied theoretical approaches and provides a variety of solutions to the challenge of translating theory to technique. In each chapter, the field's most eminent scholars provide a definition of and orientation to the specific theory or area of emphasis, showing its relevance to art therapy. The third edition includes many new chapters with material on a wide variety of topics including contemplative approaches, DBT, neuroscience, and mentalization while also retaining important and timeless contributions from the pioneers of art therapy. Clinical case examples and over 100 illustrations of patient artwork vividly demonstrate the techniques in practice. Approaches to Art Therapy, 3rd edition, is an essential resource in the assembly of any clinician's theoretical and technical toolbox, and in the formulation of each individual's own approach to art therapy.
From a leading expert, a groundbreaking book on the science of play, and its essential role in fueling our happiness and intelligence throughout our lives We've all seen the happiness on the face of a child while playing in the school yard. Or the blissful abandon of a golden retriever racing across a lawn. This is the joy of play. By definition, play is purposeless, all-consuming, and fun. But as Dr. Stuart Brown illustrates, play is anything but trivial. It is a biological drive as integral to our health as sleep or nutrition. We are designed by nature to flourish through play. Dr. Brown has spent his career studying animal behavior and conducting more than six-thousand "play histories" of humans from all walks of life-from serial murderers to Nobel Prize winners. Backed by the latest research, Play explains why play is essential to our social skills, adaptability, intelligence, creativity, ability to problem solve and more. Particularly in tough times, we need to play more than ever, as it's the very means by which we prepare for the unexpected, search out new solutions, and remain optimistic. A fascinating blend of cutting-edge neuroscience, biology, psychology, social science, and inspiring human stories of the transformative power of play, this book proves why play just might be the most important work we can ever do.
Using case studies, applied examples, original source material, and her own inimitable pedagogical style, Nancy Murdock succinctly elucidates fifteen of the most influential and ground-breaking theories of psychotherapy and counseling. With this articulate guide to counseling theory, students will grasp complicated historical theory and not only understand the historical footing and uses of each, but will learn how these theories have informed each other and contributed to modern practice, while applying it to their own professional counseling experience. Examining the historical roots, evaluations, and lasting effects of Existential, Gestalt, Behavior, Cognitive, Reality, Feminist, Family, Narrative, and Solution-Focused Therapy and much more, this text equips students with the history and application necessary to bring theory to life.
A Primer of Adlerian Psychology offers an accessible, yet very learned, introduction to Adlerian Psychology. Also known as Individual Psychology, the approach stresses the unity of the individual, the subjective choices he or she makes and the goals the individual works towards he or she moves through life. Therapists can apply this theory in a variety of settings with populations of all ages, making it a highly practical and valuable approach. Written by two scholars with extensive knowledge and experience in this school of thought, this book covers the basic tenets of Individual Psychology geared toward those students and clinicians who are yet unfamiliar with Adler's work.
This bestselling work for professionals and students is the authoritative presentation of motivational interviewing (MI), the powerful approach to facilitating change. The book elucidates the four processes of MI--engaging, focusing, evoking, and planning--and vividly demonstrates what they look like in action. A wealth of vignettes and interview examples illustrate the "dos and don'ts" of successful implementation in diverse contexts. Highly accessible, the book is infused with respect and compassion for clients. The companion Web page provides additional helpful resources, including reflection questions, an extended bibliography, and annotated case material.
Artists have always had a role in imagining a more socially just, inclusive world - many have devoted their lives to realizing this possibility. In a culture ever more embedded in performance and the visual, an examination of the role of the arts in multicultural teaching for social justice is timely. This book examines and critiques approaches to using activist art to teach a multicultural curriculum. Examples of activist artists and their strategies illustrate how study of and engagement in this process connect local and global issues that can deepen critical literacy and a commitment to social justice. This book is relevant to those interested in teaching more about artist/activist social movements around the globe; preparing pre-service teachers to teach for social justice; concerned about learning how to engage diverse learners through the arts; and teaching courses related to arts-based multicultural education, critical literacy, and culturally relevant teaching.
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.
The Handbook of Art Therapy has become the standard introductory text into the theory and practice of art therapy in a variety of settings. This comprehensive book concentrates on the work of art therapists: what they do, where they practice, and how and why art and therapy can combine to help the search for health and understanding of underlying problems. In this third edition, new developments in the profession are clearly described, including sections on neuroscience, research, private practice and the impact of technology on the therapeutic setting. Caroline Case and Tessa Dalley are highly experienced in the teaching, supervision and clinical practice of art therapy. Using first-hand accounts of the experience of art therapy from therapists and patients, they cover such aspects as the influence of psychodynamic thinking, the role of the image in the art process and the setting in which the art therapist works. The Handbook of Art Therapy also focuses on art therapists themselves, and their practice, background and training. The book includes an extensive bibliography, encompassing a comprehensive coverage of the current literature on art therapy and related subjects, and contains a glossary of psychoanalytic terms. Covering basic theory and practice for clinicians and students at all levels of training, this is a key text for art therapists, counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists and students at all levels, as well as professionals working in other arts therapies.
From Art-making as a Defence to Works of Art, this anthology will help you navigate your way through the ever-growing world of art therapy. Art therapy is used in an increasing range of settings and is influenced by a range of disciplines, including psychotherapy, social psychiatry, social work and education. Navigating Art Therapy is an essential companion for both seasoned art therapists and those new to the field as it offers a comprehensive guide to key terms and concepts.
The Wiley Handbook of Art Therapy is a collection of original, internationally diverse essays, that provides unsurpassed breadth and depth of coverage of the subject. The most comprehensive art therapy book in the field, exploring a wide range of themes A unique collection of the current and innovative clinical, theoretical and research approaches in the field Cutting-edge in its content, the handbook includes the very latest trends in the subject, and in-depth accounts of the advances in the art therapy arena Edited by two highly renowned and respected academics in the field, with a stellar list of global contributors, including Judy Rubin, Vija Lusebrink, Selma Ciornai, Maria d' Ella and Jill Westwood Part of the Wiley Handbooks in Clinical Psychology series
Art Therapy for Groups provides detailed guidance on how to set up and run theme-based art therapy groups and discusses factors affecting different client groups.
The second half of the book consists of nearly 400 themes and practical exercises to use with groups, set out in sections ranging from personal work to group interactive exercises. This updated second edition includes:
* new material on race, culture and diversity
* a chapter on recording, evaluation and evidence-based practice
* a survey of literature on art therapy groups
* seventy new themes
* an updated international resources section.
Illustrated with line drawings and black-and-white photographs this book is an essential resource for people working with art therapy and personal art groups.
This book focusses on art therapy as a treatment of PTSD in both theory and practice. It includes an in-depth look at what PTSD is, how it develops, and how art therapists should approach and treat it, with a focus on furthering social justice.
The chapters cover a wide variety of contexts, including adults at a rape crisis centre, veterans, children in group homes and patients at substance use facilities. The second section of the book includes invaluable practical strategies and interventions based on the author's decades of experience in the field. It also discusses more complex concepts, including the impact of avoidance in maintaining symptoms of PTSD, and considers how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can guide art therapy interventions.
Trauma is a fact of life. Veterans and their families deal with the painful aftermath of combat; one in five Americans has been molested; one in four grew up with alcoholics; one in three couples have engaged in physical violence. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, one of the world's foremost experts on trauma, has spent over three decades working with survivors. In The Body Keeps the Score, he uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma literally reshapes both body and brain, compromising sufferers' capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust. He explores innovative treatments--from neurofeedback and meditation to sports, drama, and yoga--that offer new paths to recovery by activating the brain's natural neuroplasticity. Based on Dr. van der Kolk's own research and that of other leading specialists, The Body Keeps the Score exposes the tremendous power of our relationships both to hurt and to heal--and offers new hope for reclaiming lives.
Trauma in the Creative and Embodied Therapies is a cross-professional book looking at current approaches to working therapeutically and socially with trauma in a creative and embodied way. The book pays attention to different kinds of trauma - environmental, sociopolitical, early relational, abuse in its many forms, and the trauma of illness - with contributions from international experts, drawn from the fields of the arts therapies, the embodied psychotherapies, as well as nature-based therapy and Playback Theatre. The book is divided into three sections: the first section takes into consideration the wider sociopolitical perspective of trauma and the power of community engagement. In the second section, there are numerous clinical approaches to working with trauma, whether with individuals or groups, highlighting the importance of creative and embodied approaches. In the third section, the focus shifts from client work to the impact of trauma on the practitioner, team, and supervisor, and the importance of creative self-care and reflection in managing this challenging field. This book will be useful for all those working in the field of trauma, whether as clinicians, artists, or social workers.
Art Therapy, Trauma, and Neuroscience combines theory, research, and practice with traumatized populations in a neuroscience framework. Recognizing the importance of understanding both art therapy and trauma studies as brain-based interventions, some of the most renowned figures in art therapy and trauma use translational and integrative neuroscience to provide theoretical and applied techniques. Therapists will come away from this book with tools for a refined understanding of brain-based interventions in a dynamic yet accessible format.
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 images from client sessions that serve as helpful examples of the work.
This book explores how creativity and the expressive arts can be therapeutic for refugees and survivors of natural disasters, poverty, war, pandemic and genocide. Artists and therapists behind group art projects worldwide reveal how art enables people to come together, find their voices and learn how to narrate their stories after traumatic experiences. They offer insight into the challenges they encountered and explain the theory, curricula and practice of their approaches. The case studies reflect a wide range of projects, including work with survivors of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa, Syrian war refugees in Jordan and survivors of the tsunami in Sri Lanka.
A trusted, comprehensive resource, this volume demonstrates a range of creative approaches for facilitating children's emotional reparation and recovery from trauma. Experts in play, art, music, movement, and drama therapy, as well as bibliotherapy, describe step-by-step strategies for working with children, families, and groups. Rich with case material and artwork, the book is both practical and user-friendly. Specific types of stressful experiences discussed include parental loss, child abuse, family violence, bullying, and mass trauma. New to This Edition: *Updated and expanded discussions of trauma and of the neurobiological basis for creative interventions. *Chapters on art therapy and EMDR, body maps and dissociation, sandtray play, resiliency-based movement therapy, work with clay, mindfulness, and stress reduction with music therapy. *Highlights important developments in knowledge about self-regulation, resilience, and posttraumatic growth.
Introducing the concept of cultural humility, this guide offers a new perspective to the field of art therapy practice and theory. It explores cultural humility in art therapy research and assessment, clinical and community-based practice, social justice, self-care and pedagogy. The notion of cultural humility addresses the power differential and encourages individuals and institutions to examine privilege within social constructs. It emphasizes self-reflection and the ability of knowing one's self in order to allow the art therapist to appropriately interact with their client, whilst being mindful of their own bias, assumptions and beliefs. Each chapter ends with a reflective exercise. Offering practical guidance to this increasingly recognised concept, Cultural Humility in Art Therapy is essential to those wanting to move toward an unbiased social justice.
The Art of Art Therapy is written primarily to help art therapists define and then refine a way of thinking about their work. This new edition invites the reader to first consider closely the main elements of the discipline embodied in its name: The Art Part and The Therapy Part. The interface helps readers put the two together in an integrated, artistic way, followed by chapters on Applications and Related Service. Included with this edition is a DVD containing two hours of chapter-related video content.
This book explores how creativity and the expressive arts can be therapeutic for refugees and survivors of natural disasters, poverty, war, pandemic and genocide. Artists and therapists behind group art projects worldwide reveal how art enables people to come together, find their voices and learn how to narrate their stories after traumatic experiences. They offer insight into the challenges they encountered and explain the theory, curricula and practice of their approaches. The case studies reflect a wide range of projects, including work with survivors of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa, Syrian war refugees in Jordan and survivors of the tsunami in Sri Lanka.
An authoritative introductory account of recent developments in clinical neuroscience and its impact on art therapy theory and practice.
Demonstrating the benefits of creative expression for patients living with acute or chronic illness, this volume provides a complete, practical introduction to medical art therapy. It presents evidence-based strategies for helping people of all ages--from young children to older adults--cope with physical and cognitive symptoms, reduce stress, and improve their quality of life. The book includes detailed case material and 110 illustrations. It describes ways to work with individuals and groups with specific health conditions and challenges, as well as their family members. Contributors are experienced art therapists who combine essential knowledge with in-depth clinical guidance.
In this book Stephanie Bull and Kevin O'Farrell bring together practising clinicians who provide an insight into using contemporary art therapy with people with learning disabilities. The authentic voice of people who have learning disabilities is central to the book, and case examples, snapshots of thoughts, dialogue, photographs and artwork are included to ensure that the subjects' voices are heard. The book covers: having a learning disability loss and bereavement attachment and separation infantilisation fear powerlessness self and identity. This accessible and thought-provoking book is essential reading for anyone involved with people with learning disabilities including art therapists, psychotherapists, counsellors, students and carers.
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.
This edited volume provides a series of case studies, with varied client groups, giving arts therapists an accessible introduction to assessment and outcome measures that can be easily incorporated into their regular practice.
Definitive bridge between expressive arts and play therapy complementarily utilized with children and adolescents in their healing and creative capacities.
With contributions from experienced art therapists who have worked in diverse environments around the world, this book provides readers with a better understanding of how to adapt art therapy training and approaches to suit the settings and meet the needs of distinct populations.
Art Therapy provides a concise introduction to theory and practice, brought to life through case material and examples of artwork produced during therapy sessions. Written by practicing art therapist Dave Edwards, the book explains key theoretical ideas - such as symbolism, play, transference and interpretation - and shows how these relate to practice. The book also provides useful information on training and employment as well as guidance on practical issues such as: assessing clients, establishing and maintaining boundaries, and ending therapy. An extended case study provides an overview of the whole process from beginning to end, tying together issues discussed in earlier chapters. For anyone training or planning to train as an art therapist, Art Therapy offers an excellent foundation on which to build future knowledge and skills.
The term art therapy was coined when it was recognized that painting, drawing and modelling had healing effects on people. The early practitioners saw themselves as facilitators in setting free a spontaneous inaginative activity. In this text the author makes a plea for the therapist to return to a trust in the therapeutic value of the creative process itself. Drawing on her memories of working with some of the pioneers of art therapy, and on her own experience as a painter and as an art therapy practitionar, her argument surfaces through observation, speculation, case history and quotations from artists, poets and analysts.
Humans have engaged in artistic and aesthetic activities since the appearance of our species. Our ancestors have decorated their bodies, tools, and utensils for over 100,000 years. The expression of meaning using color, line, sound, rhythm, or movement, among other means, constitutes a fundamental aspect of our species' biological and cultural heritage. Art and aesthetics, therefore, contribute to our species identity and distinguish it from its living and extinct relatives. Science is faced with the challenge of explaining the natural foundations of such a unique trait, and the way cultural processes nurture it into magnificent expressions, historically and ethnically unique. How does the human brain bring about these sorts of behaviors? What neural processes underlie the appreciation of painting, music, and dance? How does training modulate these processes? How are they impaired by brain lesions and neurodegenerative diseases? How did such neural underpinnings evolve? Are humans the only species capable of aesthetic appreciation, or are other species endowed with the rudiments of this capacity? This volume brings together the work on such questions by leading experts in genetics, psychology, neuroimaging, neuropsychology, art history, and philosophy. It sets the stage for a cognitive neuroscience of art and aesthetics, understood in the broadest possible terms. With sections on visual art, dance, music, neuropsychology, and evolution, the breadth of this volume's scope reflects the richness and variety of topics and methods currently used today by scientists to understand the way our brain endows us with the faculty to produce and appreciate art and aesthetics.
Introduction to Art Therapy: Sources and Resources, is the thoroughly updated and revised second edition of Judith Rubin's landmark 1999 text, the first to describe the history of art in both assessment and therapy, and to clarify the differences between artists or teachers who provide "therapeutic" art activities, psychologists or social workers who request drawings, and those who are trained as art therapists to do a kind of work which is similar, but qualitatively different. This new edition contains a DVD-ROM with over 400 still images and 250 edited video clips for much richer illustration than is possible with figures alone; an additional chapter describing the work that art therapists do; and new material on education with updated information on standards, ethics, and informing others. To further make the information accessible to practitioners, students, and teachers, the author has included a section on treatment planning and evaluation, an updated list of resourcesnbsp;- selected professional associations and proceedings - references, expanded citations, and clinical vignettes and illustrations. Three key chapters describe and expand the work that art therapists do: "People We Help," deals with all ages; "Problems We Treat," focuses on different disorders and disabilities; and "Places We Practice," reflects the expansion of art therapy beyond its original home in psychiatry. The author's own introduction to the therapeutic power of art - as a person, a worker, and a parent - will resonate with both experienced and novice readers alike. Most importantly, however, this book provides a definition of art therapy that contains its history, diversity, challenges, and accomplishments.
Distinctive in its application as a foundational theory in the field of art therapy, this up-to-date second edition demonstrates how the Expressive Therapies Continuum provides a framework for the organization of assessment information, the formulation of treatment goals, and the planning of art therapy interventions. In addition to the newest research supporting the uses of art in therapy, this volume offers the latest research in media properties and material interaction, the role of neuroscience in art therapy, emotion regulation, and assessment with the Expressive Therapies Continuum. It provides case studies to enliven the information and offers practical suggestions for using art in many and varied therapeutic ways. Through rich clinical detail and numerous case examples, this book's easy-to-use format and effectiveness in teaching history and application make it an essential reference for practitioners and students alike.
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.
Art Therapy and Social Action is an exciting exploration of how professionals can incorporate the techniques and approaches of art therapy in their work to address social problems. Examining the expanding role of art practitioner as social activist, leading art therapists and other professionals show how creative methods can be used effectively to resolve conflicts, manage aggression, heal trauma and build communities. The contributors provide examples of innovative programs on a range of topics, including those designed to address gun crime, homelessness, racism and experiences of terrorism, among others. This timely book provides new techniques and successful models for art therapists, counselors and mental health practitioners working directly with the challenges of modern society.
In the Creative Connection for Groups Dr. Natalie Rogers brings us a practical theoretical, and spiritual joining of the expressive arts and the person-centered approach for groups. Specific guidelines and explorations merge the values, purposes, and methods of both fields. Facilitators learn how to ap- ply this work in a wide variety of situations. The powerful images illustrate case material and the extraordinary effects of this profound group process.
Ultimately, this book is about courage, cre- ative expression, compassion, cooperation, and raising the collective consciousness to heal the planet. No small order. Yet the dy- namic, humanistic process of person-cen- tered expressive arts fosters in individuals and groups the ability to achieve this goal as they become authentic, self-actualized, and empowered. The forceful element of creative expression brings individuals personally and collectively into their strength, honing the ability to envision a brighter future and act across political or antagonistic boundaries to a more peaceful, all-inclusive way of being.
This non-fiction book describes the theoretical constructs and practical techniques of Individual Psychology as they inform the creative process of group art therapy. According to Individual Psychology, we all can be successful by working together, by adapting in ways that will help us survive in our environment, not by some working for the benefit of others. Without this synergy of collective consciousness there will be no collective wisdom. Alfred Adler called this Gemeinschaftsgefühl: giving to and receiving from others in the spirit of social equality.Sadie "Tee" Dreikurs, the wife of Rudolf Dreikurs, one of the founders of Adler University (formerly the Alfred Adler Institute), developed a course called "The Use of Art in Group Counseling." As her student, assistant, and friend, Dr. Sutherland was able to study Tee's unique approach to art therapy through an Adlerian perspective. In the 1990s Dr. Sutherland used those methods Tee developed to create the M.A. in Counseling: Art Therapy program at Adler. In this book Dr. Sutherland assembles the Art Directives Tee employed in the classroom, and offers her own contributions to Tee's theoretical approach along with how it has worked in her teaching and practice.The book is a collection of personal curricular essays that are also invitations to readers to use their own art as a mirror to life and a way to create community with others. This interdisciplinary approach to art therapy integrates thoughts on philosophy, education, art, ethics, sociocultural issues, dreams, addiction, research, professional development, and supervision, all of which informed the M.A. in Counseling: Art Therapy program at Adler University. Dr. Sutherland's wish is that those who read this book will find a common ground with their own thoughts, beliefs and values.
The Use of the Creative Therapies with Chemical Dependency Issues is a comprehensive work that examines the use of therapies with respect to treatment issues relating to substance abuse. The goal of the book is to examine treatment approaches which cover the broad spectrum of the creative arts therapies. This edited volume contains chapters written by renowned, well-credentialed, and professional creative art therapists in the areas of art, play, music, dance/movement, drama, and poetry. Topics covered include: substance abuse issues around the world; combating shame and pathogenic belief systems; open studio art therapy in a harm reduction center; the expressive therapies continuum as a framework for art therapy interventions in substance abuse treatment; multifamily group art therapy for adolescent substance abuse; qualitative study of the benefits of addressing ambivalence through comic/cartoon drawings with clients; play therapy with children exposed to addiction; chemical dependence, play therapy, and filial therapy; songs, music and sobriety; dance/movement therapy as an effective clinical intervention; using expressive arts therapy with young male offenders; a case study of dance/movement therapy with the dually diagnosed in a methadone treatment program; recovering identity and stimulating growth; individual drama therapy and the alcoholic; existential drama therapy and addictive behavior; and poetry therapy in the treatment of addictions. The strategies and discussions contained in this book will be of special interest to educators, students, and therapists as well as people struggling with substance abuse.
From bestselling author Gabor Maté, the essential resource for understanding the roots and behaviors of addiction--now with an added introduction by the author. Based on Gabor Maté's two decades of experience as a medical doctor and his groundbreaking work with the severely addicted on Vancouver's skid row, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts radically reenvisions this much misunderstood field by taking a holistic approach. Dr. Maté presents addiction not as a discrete phenomenon confined to an unfortunate or weak-willed few, but as a continuum that runs throughout (and perhaps underpins) our society; not a medical "condition" distinct from the lives it affects, rather the result of a complex interplay among personal history, emotional, and neurological development, brain chemistry, and the drugs (and behaviors) of addiction. Simplifying a wide array of brain and addiction research findings from around the globe, the book avoids glib self-help remedies, instead promoting a thorough and compassionate self-understanding as the first key to healing and wellness. In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts argues persuasively against contemporary health, social, and criminal justice policies toward addiction and those impacted by it. The mix of personal stories--including the author's candid discussion of his own "high-status" addictive tendencies--and science with positive solutions makes the book equally useful for lay readers and professionals.
Highly Commended in Psychiatry, 2011 BMA Medical Book Awards. British Medical Association Addiction to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs is one of the major public health issues of our time. It accounts for one of every five deaths in the United States and costs approximately one-half trillion dollars per year in health care expenditures and lost productivity. Its human costs are untold and perhaps uncountable. Addiction and Art puts a human face on addiction through the creative work of individuals who have been touched by it. The art included here presents unique stories about addiction. Many pieces are stark representations of life on the edge. Others are disturbing contemplations of life, meaning, and death. Some even reflect the allure of addiction and a fondness for substance abuse. A panel of addiction scientists, artists, and professionals from the art world selected the 61 pieces included here from more than 1,000 submissions. Accompanied by a written statement from the artist, each creation is emblematic of the destructive power of addiction and the regenerative power of recovery. Stunning and occasionally unsettling, this unique portfolio reveals addiction art as a powerful complement to addiction science.