This study explores the potential of using stories to communicate with children in therapy. The natural resilience of the children allows them to distance themselves from events and create another "reality" in the stories where children can communicate emotionally without directly involving their emotions. The author seeks to show how through encouraging the stories and participating in them we can nurture both the children and their recovery process, and enable them to learn to live with their experiences.;Examples of stories by both childrn and professional authors are spread throughout the book to reinforce the argument that stories are a vital part of understanding the emotional and mental state of a child.

Robert Landy has assembled a collection of essays which encompasses his experience as a dramatherapist. The concept of 'double life' can be seen to be a central theme running through the work - encapsulating the dramatherapist's need to balance the issues of theory, practice and personal growth. The range of essays includes both theory and practice. Landy tackles issues of training and research, examines concepts - such as that of role - in dramatherapy and presents case studies, such as the ambitious 'The Double Life - A Case of Bipolar Disorder'. Uniting entirely new material with some of Landy's most respected work, this collection will be of enduring importance to dramatherapists, teachers and students of dramatherapy, and all those with an interest in creative arts expression.

Eating disorders are of increasing concern in the medical and psychiatric professions. Growing awareness that the arts therapies have something unique and positive to offer led to the publication of this book by experts in all areas of the arts therapies. The symptoms and aetiology ascribed to such disorders and the treatment methods prescribed to clients are discussed, and the chapters go on to focus on the use of specific arts therapies within this area, including discussions of the theoretical models they are based on, the methodologies used and the as yet small amount of research that has been completed.

The author describes how, in practice, music therapists work at child day care centres, adult day care centres and in other institutions. The first chapters cover the history and theory of working with music with people with developmental disabilities. The main body of the book covers discussion of the various methods, including individual and group work. Each method is described in terms of the clinical indications, the objectives set and the choice of techniques and musical instruments, and is illustrated through the use of case study. The final chapter draws conclusions for both theory and practice.

This book explores the role of drama, movement and music in helping mentally disturbed patients to emerge from their twilight world into a state where they can begin to come to terms with themselves and with daily living. The basic principles of movement are outlined, and their use and practical value discussed. The book is intended for those experienced in therapy who want to understand movement, for those trained in movement who want who want to apply what they have learned in the therapeutic and other remedial ways, and as an introduction to both movement and therapy for those in other disciplines.

This book - by one of the leaders in this exciting and relatively new field - is the first to present a working framework for dramatherapists, social workers, family and marital therapists, and others conducting groups. This framework primarily deals with dramatherapy in the non-clinical setting such as family centres, residential children's homes, social services resources and intermediate treatment centres. Separate chapters cover current theory, methodology and application in specific client areas including child abuse. The author addresses work with children and adults, both individually and in groups, illustrated by case history examples. A final chapter concentrates on the needs of the therapist and shows how dramatherapy can be used as a personal resource.

Art Psychotherapy and Innovation captures the range of activity at the vanguard of practice and research in the field. Reflecting the sector's increasing focus on ways of fostering psychological health, wellbeing and social engagement in a wider context, it examines how to adapt to an increasing demand for therapeutic interventions worldwide. This includes collaboration with arts and health practitioners to ensure evidence-based practice with safe and ethical therapeutic boundaries and which draws on art psychotherapists' intensive clinical training. Tethered to the wider context for innovation in art psychotherapy through theoretical discussion, this edited collection presents case studies of innovative work in relation to new territories (client groups and locations), new techniques in approaches to practice, and engagement with contemporary technologies and cross-disciplinary working.

From the author of The CBT Art Activity Book, this book brings you even more and even better worksheets and ready-to-use creative activities based on CBT principles. With striking patterned designs and easy-to-follow prompts, these 100 new worksheets are suitable for adults and young people, in individual or group work. Using CBT and art as therapy, they support therapeutic outcomes such as emotional regulation, improved self-esteem and resilience, coping with change and loss, and identifying goals. The book also includes guidance on using the worksheets effectively in therapeutic sessions, enabling a safe space to express, articulate and process difficult experiences and emotions.

Music therapy is a valuable method of support and treatment for those dealing with trauma within the adoption community. Music Therapy in Adoption and Trauma offers a timely and much-needed perspective for music and creative arts therapists, as well as families themselves. Addressing topics such as contemporary adoption processes, potential resulting trauma, attachment and adoption breakdown, the book looks at why music therapy specifically can help. Throughout, it centres the value of lived experience in increasing understanding of trauma and effective support. Following a decade of dramatic change within the adoption practice, this book is an invaluable resource for those looking to support individuals and families impacted by adoption.

Illustrated with rich case examples, this widely used practitioner resource and text presents a range of play approaches that facilitate healing in a shorter time frame. Leading play therapists from diverse theoretical orientations show how to tailor brief interventions to each child's needs. Individual, family, and group treatment models are described and clinical guidelines are provided. Chapters demonstrate ways to rapidly build alliances with children, adolescents, and their caregivers; plan treatment for frequently encountered clinical problems; and get the most out of play materials and techniques. New to This Edition *Incorporates the latest research and clinical developments. *Chapters on additional approaches: Theraplay, combined art and play therapy, Gestalt play therapy, animal-assisted play therapy, child-parent relationship therapy, Floortime, and more. *Chapters on additional clinical problems: grief, sexual behavior problems, and autism spectrum disorder.

Based on extensive clinical experience, this book provides authoritative guidance and practical tools in a challenging area for child mental health professionals. The authors explain the many possible causes of problem sexual behaviors and demonstrate assessment and treatment procedures that have been shown to work with 4- to 11-year-olds and their families. Four chapter-length case examples illustrate how to integrate elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy, play and expressive therapies, and family-based approaches. Helpful reproducible worksheets and forms can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.

Going beyond traditional play therapy, this innovative book presents a range of evidence-based assessment and intervention approaches that incorporate play as a key element. It is grounded in the latest knowledge about the importance of play in child development. Leading experts describe effective strategies for addressing a wide variety of clinical concerns, including behavioral difficulties, anxiety, parent-child relationship issues, trauma, and autism. The empirical support for each approach is summarized and clinical techniques are illustrated. The book also discusses school-based prevention programs that utilize play to support children's learning and social-emotional functioning.

Professionals working in a range of clinical settings are regularly called upon to work with angry clients, and they may find their skills and resources for working with this powerful emotion limited. Art Therapy and Anger demonstrates how the non-verbal medium of art therapy provides an ideal outlet for the expression of thoughts and feelings that are too complex and painful to put into words, presenting a new and practical approach to dealing with this area of need. Marian Liebmann argues that clients of all ages will benefit from the art-making process, which helps them to slow down and consider their emotions more calmly. The tangible product of their efforts allows clients to assess and react to what they have depicted, providing a lucid and safe framework for better understanding the causes and effects of their anger. This book draws together contributions from art therapists who work in a wide variety of contexts, including work with offenders, mental health clients, clients with brain injury and those with cancer, with the view of helping clients to manage their anger more constructively. This positive, practical volume will be of great interest to art therapists and students, as well as practitioners working with angry clients in various fields such as mental health, probation, counselling and medicine.

Time does not heal all wounds: decades after a disaster, entire communities may still experience the long-term effects of trauma. Sociodrama and Collective Trauma examines the psychological and social damage of trauma to society as a whole. Kellermann argues that collective trauma has been insufficiently considered; his timely book suggests practical ways of facilitating the rehabilitation of survivors of collective trauma through, for example, sociodrama and related group work. The author develops methods for understanding the past and preparing for the future and provides a wealth of case studies based on 30 years' experience of treating survivors of war trauma and other forms of disaster. Combining a systematic theoretical approach with a practical methodology, this insightful book is invaluable for drama therapists, group therapists, mental health professionals and counsellors.

Identity is formed through the narration of experience, and children who experience difficult life events may need help in forming and expressing their own narratives. Play therapy can be an appropriate way of facilitating this kind of expression. This manual describes the work of nine play therapists through the narratives of children - and some adults - whose stories emerge during their play therapy sessions.;These stories are not direct accounts of real happenings but are imaginative, metaphorical, complex and multi-layered. The life events they relate include fostering, long-term illness, and the traumatic death of a close adult. One chapter examines attachment in families and another describes the Biography Laboratory project exploring story creation through action research.

Writing from a dramatherapist's perspective, Roger Grainger looks at methods of researching the arts therapies, and how particular definitions of research affect our understanding and practising of arts therapies. He places approaches to research in four categories: quantitative research (which seeks to demonstrate), qualitative research (which explains by describing), action research (which explains by experiencing) and art-based research (which aims to document in an appropriate language, in this case art). Grainger evaluates all of these approaches, arguing that our theoretical or philosophical understanding of what research actually is has an effect on what we think research can be used for. Grainger argues that research always involves a trade-off between two kinds of inaccuracy, numerical and experiential, which correspond to the imprecise fit of the way we think about life and life itself. A range of research paradigms is useful because each regards the world in a different way. Taken together they provide a range of ways of increasing our understanding.

With a strong emphasis on working in group settings, Reflections on Therapeutic Storymaking develops both the theory and practice of storymaking, enlivened by many examples from various cultures in which Alida Gersie has worked. The author reflects on the dynamics of the storytelling process and explores the common experiences and attitudes which emerge in story work. The book discusses a broad range of topics, including: - the various types of narrative and their uses - the impact of race, class and other factors on the group and group leader - the need to encourage tolerance for the expression of emotional range - the potential benefits of the group storytelling process. Extending the author's earlier work on the use of stories to bring about healing change, this book will enrich the practice of anyone engaged in therapeutic work in either a group or individual setting.

Brief dramatherapy is offered in treatment settings for acute or chronic in-patient populations and out-patient or community health settings with a maintenance, rehabilitation or personal development purpose. Providers of such treatment want to offer: the briefest possible treatment programmes; which involve optimum numbers of clients; at the most reasonable level of cost; with the best predictable outcome, and the clearest, most competent, evaluation of efficacy strategies. Written by the directors of the world's major training programmes in dramatherapy, this book presents their approach to and theory of brief dramatherapy.

Arthur Robbins has been a practising art therapist for many years, and is founder of the Pratt Graduate Art Therapy program, one of the first of its kind to introduce art therapy training in the United States. This new text recasts his early work within the framework of modern psychodynamic theory. The underlying principle of the early works - the amalgamation of the creative and therapeutic processes in the belief that the facilitation of creativity improves psychological health - remains in this text, together with a thread of object-relations theory that intertwines with other models of treatment. There is also an emphasis on transference and countertransference, and a core belief that every art therapist must possess and develop the soul and sensitivity of an artist, thus valuing authenticity and maintaining a respect for the uniqueness of personal expression. This perception and understanding of the art form will aid the understanding of the entire personality organization of the patient. In this text, diagnosis is not used for categorization, but to offer indications for possible treatment and so to develop a treatment plan. Some patients need the reinforcement of ego skills and defences, others need mirroring, and some need to deal with object loss and attachment. A creative art therapist should not be bogged down by cumbersome role definitions and should be willing to take the same sort of risks that the creative process requires. The creative intent of this text is to offer a structure that is not limited to one therapeutic model and to open up the doors for the creative art therapist to be effective with a wide range of patient populations.

The Art and Science of Dance/Movement Therapy offers both a broad understanding and an in-depth view of how and where dance therapy can be used to produce change. The chapters go beyond the basics that characterize much of the literature on dance/movement therapy, and each of the topics covered offers a theoretical perspective followed by case studies that emphasize the techniques used in the varied settings. Several different theoretical points of view are presented in the chapters, illuminating the different paths through which dance can be approached in therapy.