No skills needed
Clients do not require any special art skills or abilities in order to benefit fully from art therapy.
References
Professional journals on art therapy
Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association
The official journal of the American Art Therapy Association, it is published quarterly. It is free to members but also available by subscription to non-members.
(ISSN 0742-1656)
Canadian Art Therapy Association Journal
The CATA Journal is published biannually. It is free to members and available to non-members through subscription.
(ISSN 0832-2473)
The Arts in Psychotherapy
This international journal is published five times per year and features contributions from creative arts therapists and psychotherapists, psychologists and psychiatrists whose work involves art-based research. In addition to printed publications, access to the full text of all journal articles is available online.
(ISSN: 0197-4556)
The International Journal of Art Therapy: Inscape
Published biannually, the IJAT: Inscape is the peer-reviewed journal of the British Association of Art Therapists. Members receive it as part of their membership package. It is also available by subscription.
(ISSN Print 1745-4832 ISSN Online 1745-4840)
International Art Therapies Journal, Online
An international, refereed virtual journal in the creative arts therapies that is offered free of charge.With an interdisciplinary focus, a team of internationally respected experts from various creative arts therapies select papers and provide feedback to contributors.
Books by AATQ members and other Canadian art therapists
Creativity and the Dissociative Patient:
Puppets, Narrative and Art in the Treatment of Survivors of Childhood Trauma
Lani Gerity
Taylor & Francis Group, 1999
149 pp
ISBN: 1-85302-722-7
Veteran art therapist Lani Gerity demonstrates how puppet making is an effective therapeutic intervention with survivors of childhood trauma, particularly with survivors who display dissociative symptoms.
Emotional Expression Among Cree Indians:
The Role of Pictorial Representations in the Assessment of Psychological Mindedness
Nadia Ferrara
Taylor Francis Group, 1998
144 pp
ISBN: 1853026565
This comparative study looks at the emotional expression and psychological-mindedness of two groups: Euro-Canadians and Cree Amerindians. The author concludes that some cultures predispose their members to express their emotions in non-verbal ways.
Foundations of Expressive Arts Therapy: Theoretical and Clinical Perspectives
Stephen K. Levine and Ellen G. Levine
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1998
350 pp
ISBN: 1-85302-463-5
This text provides an arts-based approach to the theory and practice of expressive arts therapy.
Grain of Truth: The Ancient Lessons of Craft
Ross Laird
Walker & Company, 2002
200 pp
ISBN: 0-80277-638-8
Drawing on his wood working experiences, this Vancouver-based art therapist presents a very personal exploration of the relationship between creativity and spirituality.
Healing Through Art: Ritualized Space and Cree Identity
Nadia Ferrara
McGill-Queens University Press, 2004
184 pp
ISBN 0-77352-721-4
In her second book, Montreal-based Nadia Ferrara further explores the healing power of art therapy as it is used by individuals within the Cree community. The cultural aspects of these therapeutic experiences are examined in great depth, making this book an important contribution to Native Studies and anthropology, as well as to the field of art therapy.
Principles and Practice of Expressive Arts Therapy: Toward a Therapeutic Aesthetics
Paolo Knill, Ellen G. Levine and Stephen K. Levine
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2004
264 pp
ISBN: 1-84310-039-8
The authors advocate an alternative approach to art therapy which challenges the more prevalent practice of working within a pre-existing psychological framework.
A Stone’s Throw: The Enduring Nature of Myth
Ross Laird
McClelland & Stewart, 2003
332 pp
ISBN: 1-55199-9091-1
In his second book, Vancouver art therapist Ross Laird reflects on the powerful symbolism of stones as he transforms a volcanic rock into a piece of sculpture. While his hands shape the stone, he reflects upon traditional mythology and personal anecdotes which illustrate how stones have always served to orient us geographically, historically and culturally.
Strengthening Emotional Ties through Parent-Child-Dyad Art Therapy:
Interventions with Infants and Preschoolers
Lucille Proulx
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2002
202 pp
ISBN: 1-84310-713-9
Drawing on her lengthy experience working as an art therapist, the author (and former AATQ president) presents a thorough examination of the many aspects of parent-child-dyad art therapy based on the latest findings in attachment theory.
Tapestry of Cultural Issues in Art Therapy
Anna R. Hiscox, and Abby C. Calisch (Editors)
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1998
380 pp
ISBN: 1-85302-576-3
Various authors discuss the many practical and theoretical challenges encountered by art therapists when working with people from different cultural and racial backgrounds. Contributors include AATQ members Pascal Annoual, Nicole Heusch and Nadia Ferrara, among others, while Abby C. Calish is a past program director of the Concordia University Creative Arts Therapy MA program.
Introductory books on art therapy
Art Therapy
David Edwards
Sage Publications, 2004
163 pp
ISBN: 0-76194-751-5
A comprehensive look at the field of art therapy. Emphasis is given to the development and role of art therapy in the UK where the author resides. However, he also includes an interesting survey of the practice in Europe, Canada and the U.S.
Art Therapy: An Introduction
Judith Rubin
Taylor & Francis Group, 1999
325 pp
ISBN 0-87630-897-3
American art therapist Judith Rubin has been a dynamic and influential force in the development of art therapy for several decades and has written a number of widely used books on the subject. In this introductory book she provides a synthesized overview of the theory and practice of art therapy.
Books on the history of art therapy
Healing Arts: The History of Art Therapy
Susan Hogan
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2001
336 pp
ISBN 1-85302-799-5
A well researched and sweeping text that delves into the philosophical underpinnings of both art and psychiatry to expose the roots of art therapy in the UK. An account which will be of interest to medical and art historians as well as those who are interested in art therapy itself.
A History of Art Therapy in the United States
Maxine Borowsky Junge with Paige Pateracki Asawa
American Art Therapy Association, 1994
354 pp
ISBN: 1-882-147-23-5
The authors chronicle the emergence and evolution of art therapy as it occurred within the broader field of mental health in the U.S. They give attention to cultural, political and bureaucratic details, describing how, for instance, the fledgling discipline went about establishing its own set of professional standards and graduate programs.
This book is available only from the American Art Therapy Association, 1202 Allanson Road, Mundelein, Illinois, 60060, 708-949-6064; FAX: 708-566-4580.
Other Publications by AATQ Members
- Drapeau, M.C. & Kronish, N. (2007). Creative art therapy groups: A treatment modality for psychiatric outpatients. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 24 (2), 76-81.
