Medical Art Therapy With Children

Drawing on case material from a variety of situations, the book describes medical research on medical art therapy with children, and practical approaches to using art activities with them. The text looks at children with burns, HIV, asthma and cancer.

Demonstrating the benefits of creative expression for patients living with acute or chronic illness, this volume provides a complete, practical introduction to medical art therapy. It presents evidence-based strategies for helping people of all ages--from young children to older adults--cope with physical and cognitive symptoms, reduce stress, and improve their quality of life. The book includes detailed case material and 110 illustrations. It describes ways to work with individuals and groups with specific health conditions and challenges, as well as their family members. Contributors are experienced art therapists who combine essential knowledge with in-depth clinical guidance. This e-book edition features 87 full-color illustrations. (Illustrations will appear in black and white on black-and-white e-readers).

As more hospitals and medical centers begin to recognize the importance of incorporating art therapy into their services, information about working with the pediatric population is a necessity. This collection offers essential guidance for art therapists on the practice of medical art therapy with children and young people, and the role of the art therapist in working alongside medical staff.

Art therapists have an essential part to play in supporting children and their families when a child is undergoing medical treatment. The art therapists who contribute to this book offer their experience of working in medical environments and creating hospital art therapy programs for working with children and young people. Readers will find interventions and techniques, along with program development ideas and diverse approaches to work with patients. Chapters also cover different diagnoses and areas of healthcare, such as oncology, chronic illness and burns. The challenges and opportunities for art therapy in working with terminal illness and bereavement are also addressed. Pediatric Medical Art Therapy delineates the essential considerations and lessons for the art therapist who joins the medical journeys of children and their families, and emphasises the importance of this unique role.

Medical Art Therapy with Children is the first work to tackle this rapidly growing field. It will be an essential resource for professionals - psychologists, counsellors, play therapists and art therapists - working with physically ill children on a day-to-day basis. Medical art therapy is defined as the use of drawings, art expression and imagery with individuals who are physically ill or disabled, or are undergoing aggressive medical treatment such as surgery or chemotherapy. Drawing on case material from variety of situations, the book describes current research on medical art therapy with children, and practical approaches to using art activities with them. The writers examine art therapy with young patients suffering from burns, cancer, asthma, arthritis, eating disorders and HIV/AIDS.

Using art as therapy or intervention permits people with serious or life-threatening physical illnesses to express themselves in a manner that is often felt to be safer and less difficult than a strictly verbal means. When coping with serious illness, invasive medical procedures, drug, chemotherapy or radiation treatment, and, in some cases, terminal illness, art expression is a powerful method for dealing with physical changes, emotional trauma, interpersonal problems and spiritual dilemmas. It can also enhance a therapist's understanding of patients' perceptions of themselves, their families and their environment, and allows both therapist and patient to obtain a fresh perspective on problems and directions. Some of the most distinguished art therapists in the USA have contributed to this wide-ranging and inspiring collection, which deals sensitively with work with patients who are suffering from terminal illness such as AIDS or cancer, or recovering from traumatic operations such as mastectomies. The chapters offer practical advice on materials and approaches to use with a variety of clients, depending on the objectives of the therapy. As the first book to engage with medical art therapy with adults, this will be an innovative and essential resource for all counsellors, creative arts therapists, psychologists and health care professionals.

Praise for Integrating Expressive Arts and Play Therapy WithChildren and Adolescents "With this book, Drs. Green and Drewes have filled an importantvoid in the play therapy literature, namely the integration of theexpressive arts in play therapy with children and adolescents. Theyhave assembled the best theorists and practitioners of theexpressive arts and given them an appropriate structure to writetheir chapters. The book is outstanding and provides readers within-depth case studies, detailed methodologies, research findingsand is a useful resource for further training options. I recommendthis book most highly for trainers, practitioners, and graduatestudents." —John Allan, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Counseling Psychology,University of British Columbia, author, Inscapes of the Child'sWorld "Brimming with chapters by 'oracles' from various disciplines,Green and Drewes' guidebook articulates essential competencies forthe cross-disciplinary practice of play therapy and expressive artstherapies. Practical and timely, responsible and readable, it is animportant resource for the mental health community and students whoseek to work creatively with children. A significant contributiontoward bringing professionals and professions together to learnfrom one another." —Barry M. Cohen, MA, ATR-BC, founder, Expressive TherapiesSummit, cofounder, Mid-Atlantic Play Therapy Training Institute Interventions and approaches from the expressive arts andplay therapy disciplines Integrating Expressive Arts and Play Therapy With Children andAdolescents presents techniques and approaches from the expressiveand play therapy disciplines that enable child and adolescentclinicians to augment their therapeutic toolkit within a competent,research-based practice. With contributions representing a "who's who" in the playtherapy and expressive arts therapy worlds, IntegratingExpressive Arts and Play Therapy With Children and Adolescentsis the definitive bridge between expressive arts and play therapycomplementarily utilized with children and adolescents in theirhealing and creative capacities.

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.