Arts psychotherapy

This study investigated one of the Draw-a-Person test (DAP) indicators: the sex of the first-drawn figure. The developmental trajectory of same-sex figures was explored in a control sample, while the association between opposite-sex figures and psychopathology was investigated in a clinical sample. Participants were 606 children (6–12 years old) divided into two groups: clinical and control. More than 70% of children drew figures of their own sex first. Within the control sample, the frequency of opposite-sex figures was over 17%. Thus, drawing the opposite sex first was not confirmed as an indicator of emotional difficulties. Nevertheless, the impossibility to identify the sex of the first figure emerged as an emotional indicator and a new DAP indicator was proposed: undefined sex.

Working with and through art in the context of mental health has become popular and quite well known amongst social workers, community workers, nurses, artists and teachers. Many seek art therapy skills, and a greater understanding of the use of art in healing. In parts of the world where there is no professional art therapy training and no established art therapy profession, some may go on to call themselves art therapists. Despite this, art therapy is a recognized profession, with a master's level or post graduate level training and a written code of ethics. This article looks at the ethical considerations we as art therapists face in training non-art therapists. To explore this subject in greater depth we draw upon training we have delivered for social workers in Hong Kong.

Survivors of suicide must contend not only with traumatic grief but also with shame, stigma, and silence. Poetry therapy is a powerful tool for healing in this population. The utilization of preexisting poems, along with the expressive writing of poems, letters, and journals, contributes to the desensitization of traumatic memories and helps the bereaved move beyond formless anguish toward a

The 6-Key Model is an integrative, drama therapy-based, method of assessment and intervention. The model is anchored in the notion of dramatic reality – which it views as a genuine therapeutic force and a paramount tool for intervention in drama therapy. Each key is connected to a different aspect of dramatic reality (including form, contents, and occurrences outside dramatic reality). The model provides the therapist with a systematic means for mapping drama therapy processes and structuring the therapeutic work. By presenting an overall picture of the situation, the model signals at specific keys where therapeutic interventions would be most effective. This paper presents the basics of the 6-Key Model, focusing on its use as a tool for intervention in drama therapy. The article offers concrete ideas for intervention in each key, and a case example.

Early clinical placements in dance movement therapy are students’ first encounters with the discipline as practiced. Clinical placement accentuates differences between class work, study and movement experientials (somatic learning) with other “normal urban neurotics,” and the actual needs and expressions of clinical populations. A student's remembered perspective produces a less complicated view of the medical and ethical issues faced by a therapeutic team. The author frankly reflects on her student work – and emotional confrontation – with developmentally delayed children and their caregivers in a day programme. She explores the revelations and paradoxes of therapeutic provision, including counter-transference, family structures, and local regulations.