Art Therapy With Sexual Abuse Survivors

Contains a range of illustrative case material from both individual and group therapy. The book addresses important issues faced by professionals.

This book is a useful reference for anyone seeking to provide therapy to survivors of sexual abuse. The approach represented here is a holistic one that utilizes various approaches to heal the various manifestations of sexual abuse trauma. Since the acts associated with such abuse are often so difficult to discuss, this book presents several methods of communicating these unspeakable horrors nonverbally, allowing the survivor to express their trauma with less difficulty. This approach seeks to use the actions of the body to heal the mind. This text contains information relevant to treatment for children, adolescents, and adults, as well as male or female, and in group or individual settings. Many useful activities are outlined and illustrations are provided as examples.

Dealing with the aftermath of childhood sexual abuse remains one of the major issues in child and adolescent mental health. Yet, until now, little has been written for art therapists and related professionals involved in this sensitive field. Art Therapy with Young Survivors of Sexual Abuse is a guide to practice with this group. Containing a range of illustrative case material from both individual and group therapy, the book addresses the important issues faced by professionals, including: * male therapist countertransference * the therapist's relationship with the client's family and wider networks * assessment using art therapy * the value of art therapy with groups. Art Therapy with Young Survivors of Sexual Abuse will provide not only art therapists, but other professionals working with sexually abused children and adolescents, with a stimulating discussion of the current issues in this area.

This groundbreaking book introduces and researches art therapy as a creative and effective treatment for the sensitive and pertinent issue of human sex trafficking. Rich empirical examples and best practices are provided through the contributors’ expertise and knowledge in the field of art therapy. Art therapy facilitates emotional catharsis, a personal sense of worth and empowerment through making choices; supports connection to others and the inner self; resolves trauma, grief, and shame; and provides hope for the future and recovery. This book explores art therapy interventions and outcomes through detailed case studies for sex trafficking survivors in the United States, India, and Nepal, and includes international recommendations for survivor treatment and recovery, as well as staff support programming. Professional helpers and learners from mental health, social services, medical care, and those who work with trafficking and sexual abuse survivors will benefit from this guide.

Based on clinical work, this book presents a discussion on the use of art in counselling sexually abused children,their families and sex offenders. Current theoretical models such as the "trauma model" have been effective in therapy. The author's clinical experience will provide valuable insight to therapists using art therapy techniques.

Children of violence need to be heard. Unable or unwilling to verbalize their suffering, abused children are often immobilized by fear, rage, guilt, and pain. In the second edition of Breaking the Silence: Art Therapy with Children from Violent Homes , Cathy Malchiodi demonstrates the unique power of art therapy as a tool for intervening with children from violent backgrounds. In this new edition, she describes the intervention process from intake to termination, noting the complex issues involved at various levels of evaluation and interpretation. Bringing her years of experience in working at battered women's shelters to bear on the subject, Ms. Malchiodi brings the language of art therapy to life--a language of art that gives children a voice and those who work with them, a way of listening. The emphasis here is on the short-term setting where time is at a premium and circumstances are unpredictable. It is within this setting that mental health practitioners often experience frustration and a sense of helplessness in their work with the youngest victims of abusive families. Since the first edition of this book was published, research has led to some new ideas related to sexual abuse. The author analyzes several issues concerning the treatment of sexually abused children and art expressions of sexually abused children. In addition, Ms. Malchiodi launches a discussion about the ethical issues in the use of children's art as a whole. Featured throughout the book are 95 drawings by abused children. These drawings are at once poignant and hopeful, clearly representing the extraordinary suffering that abused children experience at, at the same time, showing that they can be reached. Because the practice of art therapy methods has been integrated into many disciplines, the final chapter covers development of art therapy programs for children. The author shares information on art supplied, space, and storage ideas. For art therapists, social workers, and other practitioners who work with children in crisis, this book presents a practical methodology for intervention that fosters the compassion and insight necessary to reveal what words cannot.

Children of violence need to be heard. Unable or unwilling to verbalize their suffering, abused children are often immobilized by fear, rage, guilt, and pain. In the second edition of Breaking the Silence: Art Therapy with Children from Violent Homes , Cathy Malchiodi demonstrates the unique power of art therapy as a tool for intervening with children from violent backgrounds. In this new edition, she describes the intervention process from intake to termination, noting the complex issues involved at various levels of evaluation and interpretation. Bringing her years of experience in working at battered women's shelters to bear on the subject, Ms. Malchiodi brings the language of art therapy to life--a language of art that gives children a voice and those who work with them, a way of listening. The emphasis here is on the short-term setting where time is at a premium and circumstances are unpredictable. It is within this setting that mental health practitioners often experience frustration and a sense of helplessness in their work with the youngest victims of abusive families. Since the first edition of this book was published, research has led to some new ideas related to sexual abuse. The author analyzes several issues concerning the treatment of sexually abused children and art expressions of sexually abused children. In addition, Ms. Malchiodi launches a discussion about the ethical issues in the use of children's art as a whole. Featured throughout the book are 95 drawings by abused children. These drawings are at once poignant and hopeful, clearly representing the extraordinary suffering that abused children experience at, at the same time, showing that they can be reached. Because the practice of art therapy methods has been integrated into many disciplines, the final chapter covers development of art therapy programs for children. The author shares information on art supplied, space, and storage ideas. For art therapists, social workers, and other practitioners who work with children in crisis, this book presents a practical methodology for intervention that fosters the compassion and insight necessary to reveal what words cannot.