When a client walks into the therapy room they don't know what to expect-feeling anxious, unsure and perhaps fearful. Brief, art therapy warm-ups are the perfect way to break the ice and get clients feeling comfortable, less inhibited, and motivated to participate in individual or group therapy. These unique 250 art exercises increase self-esteem, self-awareness and a feeling of success in artistic expression and communication, allowing clients to engage in therapeutic exercises without judgment. Using simple materials like paper, pencils and markers, these techniques can be immediately implemented in your practice. Art techniques based in: Mindfulness CBT Self-Compassion Useful for clients dealing with: Anxiety Stress Low self-esteem Relationship issues Life changes "

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.

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.

Art and the therapeutic uses of art provide older adults with valuable ways in which to express and share their feelings, needs and fears, and with a resource for coping with life's major changes. This practical book is filled with step-by-step exercises for art therapists and other professionals to use in work with older adults, either individually or in groups. The author provides brief, imaginative warm-ups, which encourage participants to become more at ease expressing themselves creatively. She offers ideas for engaging and innovative creative projects across a range of media, including art, music, movement, poetry and creative writing, all of which can be adapted, personalised or combined to meet the particular needs of individual participants. Points to consider when working with this client group are explored, and case study examples, with participants' artwork, are included throughout. Appropriate for use with all relatively able older adults, including those with depression, anxiety or in the early stages of dementia, this will be an invaluable tool for art therapists as well as counsellors, psychotherapists, social workers and carers.

Leading art therapy groups is often a challenge, but as Bruce Moon so eloquently describes in this new second edition, making art in the context of others is an incredibly and almost inexplicably powerful experience. By placing the art at the center of practice, Art-Based Group Therapy creates an explanatory model and rationale for group practice that is rooted in art therapy theory and identity. There are four primary goals discussed in this text. First, an overview of essential therapeutic elements of art-based group work is provided. Second, a number of case vignettes that illustrate how therapeutic elements are enacted in practice are presented. Third, the author clearly differentiates art-based group therapy theory from traditional group psychotherapy theory. Fourth, the aspects of art-based group work and their advantages unique to art therapy are explored. Art-based group processes can be used to enhance participants' sense of community and augment educational endeavors, promote wellness, prevent emotional difficulties, and treat psychological behavioral problems. Artistic activity is used in art-based groups processes to: (1) create self-expression and to recognize the things group members have in common with one another; (2) develop awareness of the universal aspects of their difficulties as a means to identify and resolve interpersonal conflicts; (3) increase self-worth and alter self-concepts; (4) respond to others and express compassion for one another; and (5) clarify feelings and values. Through the author's effective use of storytelling, the reader encounters the group art therapy experience, transcending the case vignette and didactic instruction. Art-based group therapy can help group members achieve nearly any desired outcome, and/or address a wide range of therapeutic objectives. The book will be of benefit to students, practitioners, and educators alike. Using it as a guide, art therapy students may be more empowered to enter into the uncertain terrains of their practice grounded in a theory soundly based in their area of study. Practitioners will no doubt be encouraged, validated, and inspired to continue their work. The author succeeds in establishing a framework that allows art therapists to communicate the value of their work in a language that is unique to art therapy.

Susan Makin has written a unique resource for art therapists working with patients or clients who find the concept of spontaneous artmaking daunting, and feel more comfortable with a structured framework. Therapeutic Art Directives and Resources: Activities and Initiatives for Individuals and Groups consists of a series of directives or suggestions for group and individual activities, with guidance on the suitability of each directive for clients with specific needs and ideas for further development. Her directives protect clients' creative freedom while providing a safe environment for exploring difficult issues. Commentaries by Cathy Malchiodi alongside the directives highlight particular uses of the directives and possible adaptations. Included at the front of the book are useful sample forms and hand-outs to give clients at the beginning of therapy as well as forms for the therapist's own record-keeping. These forms, like all the directives, have been used many times in clinical practice.

Explore complex emotions and enhance self-awareness with these 100 ready-to-use creative activities. The intricate, attractive designs are illustrated in the popular zentangle style and are suitable for adults and young people, in individual or group work. The worksheets use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and art as therapy to address outcomes including improved self-esteem, emotional wellbeing, anger management, coping with change and loss, problem solving and future planning. The colouring pages are designed for relaxing stress management and feature a complete illustrated alphabet and series of striking mandala designs.