In this classic text Art Robbins explores the role of the art therapist in integrating aesthetics and psychodynamics into the therapeutic process. He argues that psychological phenomena have their aesthetic counterparts, and that incorporating these elements facilitates the therapeutic process. The artist in the therapist responds to the patient's use of colour, space, form and energy; the therapist uses his or her artist's reaction to ascertain the psychodynamics of the piece. Drawing on his extensive experience as a psychoanalyst, psychologist, art therapist and sculptor, Robbins weaves together object relations theory and principles of art to create a more cohesive understanding of therapeutic treatment. Now reissued by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, The Artist as Therapist integrates art and psychology and has profound implications for all those working in these fields.

Arthur Robbins demonstrates how important countertransference reactions are as sources of information and understanding of patient/therapist interactions. For many therapists, forming supervisory/integration groups provides a means of articulating countertransference issues which allows for self-exploration, investigation and understanding. Robbins presents transcriptions of some of these group supervision sessions, which emphasize the mixture of cognitive and affective organization which the therapist is continually exploring with the patient. He examines the issues that are raised in each session, highlighting the difficulty for the therapist of maintaining objective emotional distance from the patient while remaining receptive, and the complex issue of how much of the therapist's own personality should be permitted to emerge during the therapeutic relationship. A special chapter addresses teh complex countertransference issues that specifically apply to creative art therapy.

In the therapeutic workplace, the interaction between patient and therapist is built upon cognitive, affective and expressive experiences. This book explores the concept of therapeutic presence, and the therapist's ability to maintain it. The theory integrates a creative framework that synthesizes traditional and non-traditional approaches to treatment, and will be of use to all mental health professionals. Since therapeutic presence calls for an openness and awareness of the intersubjective space between therapist and patient, therapists, who become receptive to the subtle cues of sensory perceptual communication, as well as to the playful, mirroring, and meditative interaction, will find more successful and meaningful interactions with patients.

Therapeutic presence requires a sensitivity to the concepts of centering and grounding, embodies the spatial and temporal characteristics of the therapeutic frame, and an experience of energy that may open, shut down, or disrupt the field of therapeutic contact. This stance can be applied to therapeutic modalities ranging from psychoanalysis to creative arts therapy, in work with both short and long term populations. The author suggests that the full use of the therapist's creative nergies may provide the only solution to overwhelming therapeutic situations.

Laying out a new integrative approach to the treatment of depression, this book looks at the biological, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions of clinical art therapy. Skov presents the theoretical foundation for a Jungian approach to art therapy and depression together with its clinical methodology and framework, outlining a procedure for working with people with mild to moderate depression. Integrative art therapy in clinical practice is introduced alongside case studies from the author's research and practice to show how transformative processes operate in the field between the conscious and the unconscious part of the psyche. Finally the author lays out her research methodology and discusses the possible implications of the integrative art therapy approach. This revolutionary approach, which places equal importance on both art therapy and psychology in the treatment of depression, will be a valuable resource for all art therapists and students working with clients and patients who suffer from depression. Psychologists, psychotherapists, counsellors and other mental health professionals will also find it of interest.

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.