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Category Archives: Thérapie
Drawing to know
Milton Glaser a well known designer, speaks of drawing as consciousness: « a fundamental way of knowing the world ». I use observational drawing with some clients as a way to help them really see what is around them, to grasp what is actually there. Some fears, anxieties, eating disorders for example, stem in part from a distorted sense [...]
Art theories and drawings
There are many ways of apprehending children’s art, many conceptual windows from which artwork can be viewed. I re-read Betty Joe Troeger’s(1992) article : Application of child art theories to the interpretation of children’s art (in AT: JAATA). The paper is an overview of theories used to interpret children’s drawings. She lists nine influential theories [...]
Types of art therapy in Britain
It is well known that there are many ways to practice art therapy, and there are important differences within and across countries. Britain in contrast to North America tends to privilege psychoanalytically informed approaches as you will see below. The excerpt is taken from a recent article by Susan Hogan, a prominent art therapist who [...]
Tree as self symbol
Assessment procedures that use the tree as a symbol are the HTP: House, Tree, Person Test (Buck, 1948); TDT Tree Drawing Test (Koch, 1952); DDS: Diagnostic Drawing Series (Cohen 1985); PPAT Person Picking an Apple from a Tree (Gantt 1990); TTM Tree Theme Method (Alexi & Gunnarsson 1995). A tree is often seen as a symbol of [...]
Bridge drawing to assess psychosis
A recent article (in press) in The Arts in Psychotherapy discusses new research on drawing indicators. A small sample of drawings from in patients (n=34), out patients (n=26) and comparison group (n=29) were contrasted to establish the validity of certain formal drawing characteristics as indicators of psychotic features. Patients in the study were all diagnosed with illnesses that involved psychotic episodes [...]
Prix d’excellence
L’association des art-thérapeutes du Québec tenait son assemblée générale annuelle samedi dernier. Comme je suis sur le CA j’y étais. Quelle a été ma surprise cette année, d’être la récipiendaire du prix pour l’excellence de sa contribution à la profession (outstanding contribution award)! Vous êtes surement curieux de savoir quelle a été ma contribution exceptionnelle? Il y [...]
Facing issues through art
An anonymous art therapist presents her struggle with eating issues through visual journaling and textile art. It is a competent discussion about the struggle and journey to channel difficult feelings in more constructive ways. Read on, she has a well written candid and thoughtful blog chocked full of textile art examples and tutorials.
Frustrated
I’m reading an article dated Sept 2nd, 2009 in the brand spanking new journal ARTS & HEALTH titled « On creating the discipline, profession and evidence in the field of arts and healthcare » and the more I read the more I’m frustrated. Why you ask? Because!!! Though the authors do a great job of sorting all [...]
