Art Therapy And Social Action

Art Therapy and Social Action is an exciting exploration of how professionals can incorporate the techniques and approaches of art therapy to address social problems. 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 field of expressive arts is closely tied to the work of therapeutic change. As well as being beneficial for the individual or small group, expressive arts therapy has the potential for a much wider impact, to inspire social action and bring about social change. The book's contributors explore the transformative power of the arts therapies in areas stricken by conflict, political unrest, poverty or natural disaster and discuss how and why expressive arts works. They look at the ways it can be used to engage community consciousness and improve social conditions whilst taking into account the issues that arise within different contexts and populations. Leading expressive arts therapy practitioners give inspiring accounts of their work, from using poetry as a tool in trauma intervention with Iraqi survivors of war and torture, to setting up storytelling workshops to aid the integration of Ethiopian Jewish immigrants in Israel. Offering visionary perspectives on the role of the arts in inspiring change at the community or social level, this is essential reading for students and practitioners of creative and expressive arts therapies, as well as psychotherapists, counsellors, artists and others working to effect social change.

How can social workers integrate expressive arts methods as a complement to their work to better support individual, group, and community growth? Expressive Arts for Social Work and Social Change explores the values and benefits of expressive arts (i.e., visual arts, movement and dance, expressive forms of writing and narrative, music, and performance) and the role they can play in social work practice and inquiry. Although previous research has illustrated the efficacy of expressive arts to individual therapeutic goals, this is the first work that looks at the use of these approaches to fulfill the values, ethics, and principles of the social work profession. The authors draw from current and emerging concepts related to green social work, including individual and collective well-being, Indigenous perspectives and practices, social justice and social action, and individual as well as collective creative expression. This book provides insight and advice that will benefit all human service professionals interested in expressive arts.

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.

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.

This comprehensive book brings together the voices of international art therapists with diverse backgrounds and experiences and asks them to consider the role of postmodernism in their understanding of art therapy. These practitioners share a common postmodern belief that art is a unique way of expressing and mediating the human condition and that art therapy should not be a diagnostic tool but a collaborative healing process between the therapist and the client. Drawing on psychotherapy, aesthetics and philosophy, the contributors present current practice, research and case studies and show the many directions and possibilities of postmodern art therapy. This book is an important addition to art therapy theory and will be a crucial text for all art therapy students, academics, researchers and practitioners.

The book's contributors explore the transformative power of the arts therapies in areas stricken by conflict and discuss how and why expressive arts works. They look at the ways it can be used to engage community consciousness and improve social conditions whilst taking into account the issues that arise within different contexts and populations.

Social Action Art Therapy in a Time of Crisis outlines theories and models of social action art therapy, identifies its application in times of crisis, and explores the ways in which art therapy can work effectively for individuals and groups experiencing crisis. Drawing upon various ecologies, climate psychology, and eco-art therapy, this book addresses various responses to climate change, including notions of belonging, the physicality of experience, and the role of imagination in creating alternative versions of the future. The author presents a social action approach to art therapy as a way of addressing the political and collective components of climate change as well as the individual and emotional components. To help explore what social action art therapy can offer in this time of crisis, the author illustrates examples that show how the ideas have been used in other moments of crisis, including asylum, refuge, and domestic abuse. This innovative book contributes to the development of contemporary art therapy practice and will be of interest to arts therapists, arts psychotherapists, expressive therapists, ecotherapists, ecopsychologists, arts-based researchers, and many more.

Combining art therapy and social action is discussed. A review of a conceptual framework with references to professional literature is presented. The art therapy intern's personal experiences are used to illustrate the therapist as activist and an art therapy exhibit of work by homeless participants is discussed.

Art therapy has shown the benefits it has when working with veterans transitioning back into civilian because it accounts for the complexity of trauma persons may have obtained while serving their country, as well as the effects service has had on their families. In the veteran population, there are ample amount of challenges veterans face in their day-to-day life. Specifically, with women veterans, they still have yet gained the recognition that is rightfully deserved. Despite the challenge, this project demonstrated how art therapy could activate and support frameworks of social action and social justice advocacy while working alongside women veterans. This project-enacted social action qualities such as promoting and advocacy; reflection on cultural and developmental identity; allowing participants to guide the process; using a systems lens-equality is not equity; leadership roles; and radical authenticity.