Arts Therapies Communication European Arts Therapy

Stipulation of a present actual position of Art Therapy, however, inevitably leads to further thoughts about ongoing development. Everything required for the theoretical-practical founding of a European Art Therapy, as discipline still has to be done, including construction of a communicative bridge to partners in other continents or countries. This development work has two strands of development. One follows a more theoretical direction with European Art Therapy as a research and teaching subject as an objective in view. The other is directed more towards practical fieldwork, which, in turn, can lead to the establishment of funds of experience as well as quantitative and qualitative investigations and thus to theoretical-methodical statements. In the contributions on hand both connections pervade. Naturally the individual articles in this collection do not fully expound the volume of art therapeutic work throughout Europe but they are a source of information and inspiration for the user from theory and / or practice, who can then find his particular niche with his own specific interests within the cross-section and subsequently continue the discourse spatially and objectively.

Arts - Therapies - Communication is designed as two volumes, with this being the first volume. The book deals with art therapy studies from Great Britain and the non-European countries. The second volume offers topic-related contributions from other European regions and countries. Under the auspices of the European Consortium for Art Therapies Education (ECArTE) a European art therapy, which is concerned with the development of a European-oriented discipline with training and fostering of successors at universities, is articulating itself. The book is aimed at art therapists, music therapists, drama and dance therapists but also at psychotherapists and clinical psychologists, teachers, sociologists and doctors. With regard to method and theory different directions and psychoanalytical approaches are represented and it also addresses a wide spectrum of clinical and non-clinical contexts and illnesses. In this way diverse interests in art therapy can be satisfied.

Ditty Dokter is joined by contributors from a number of multicultural backgrounds, in a volume examining the issues surrounding intercultural arts therapies as a means of working with clients who are refugees and migrants. The ultimate aim is to promote more awareness of intercultural issues to build a broader framework for arts therapy practice.

The Arts Therapies provides, in one volume, a guide to the different disciplines and their current practice and thinking. It presents: * A clear analysis of the relationship between client, therapist and art form. * An exploration of research, practice and key contributions made to the field by practitioners internationally and within many different contexts. * Discussion of how the arts therapies relate to established health services. The Arts Therapies: A revolution in healthcare is a unique book that provides a thorough and up-to-date overview of the arts therapies. It will prove invaluable to arts therapists, health professionals, and all those who wish to learn more about the field.

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.