Drawing from Within


Book Description

Drawing from Within is an introductory guide for those wanting to explore the use of art with clients with eating disorders. Art therapy is a particularly effective therapeutic intervention for this group, as it allows them to express uncomfortable thoughts and feelings through artistic media rather than having to explain them verbally. Lisa D. Hinz outlines the areas around which the therapist can design effective treatment programmes, covering family influences, body image, self-acceptance, problem solving and spirituality. Each area is discussed in a separate chapter and is accompanied by suggestions for exercises, with advice on materials to use and how to implement them. Case examples show how a therapy programme can be tailored to the individual client and photographs of client artwork illustrate the text throughout. Practical and accessible to practitioners at all levels of experience, this book gives new hope to therapists and other mental health professionals who want to explore the potential of using art with clients with eating disorders.




Reflections of Body Image in Art Therapy


Book Description

Recognising that problems with body image are often the lead cause of eating disorders, therapists are increasingly looking for innovative and effective ways to address these issues with clients. This book is packed with simple, inexpensive art-based activities that use a range of media to engage with common body image concerns openly and creatively. The activities employ basic principles from Behavioral Therapy including mindfulness and emotion regulation and use common and familiar objects to create a reassuring environment. Discussion and evaluation are encouraged throughout to enhance awareness and appreciation of self. All the exercises, and their objectives, are thoroughly explained with illustrative case studies and sample artworks from the author's extensive therapeutic experience. These adaptable art exercises will be the perfect resource for any professional to promote healthy body image in group or individual work, with girls and women. They can be used as preventative strategies with girls still developing their identities, and will be especially useful at all stages of eating disorder treatment programs.




Eating Disorders and Magical Control of the Body


Book Description

People with eating disorders often make desparate attempts to exert magical control over their bodies in response to the threats they experienced in relationships. Mary Levens takes the reader into the realm of magical thinking and its effect on ideas about eating and the body through a sensitive exploration of the images patients create in art therapy, in which themes of cannibalism constantly recur. Drawing on anthropology, religion and literature as well as psychoanalysis, she discusses the significance of these images and their implications for treatment of patients with eating disorders.




Creative Arts Therapies and Clients with Eating Disorders


Book Description

Drawing on the expertise of leading creative arts therapists from around the world, this book provides a comprehensive examination of the role of the creative arts in the treatment of clients with eating disorders (EDs). The book explores how art, dance and movement, drama, music, and poetry therapies have fostered insights, growth, and recovery for patients across ED diagnoses (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and compulsive overeating disorder), and comorbid diagnoses. It illustrates how each creative arts modality is implemented in the ED treatment process and covers a variety of treatment levels (residential, inpatient, intensive outpatient and outpatient). Each chapter is enriched with case illustrations to provide a greater depth of understanding of how the methods are used in clinical practice. This book is an incomparable overview of the value and diverse uses of the creative arts in the treatment of EDs, and it will be of interest to all arts therapists, psychodrama therapists, family therapists, as well as students of these disciplines.




Finding Your Voice Through Creativity


Book Description

This is a creative workbook for individuals who want to explore their relationship with food and their bodies in a new way. It is based on the idea that art is one of the most powerful inroads to psychological healing through the fostering self-expression, insight, and empowerment. Creativity connects us to our inner voice; healing occurs when we listen.Written by board-certified art psychotherapists, the pages of this workbook literally serve as a canvas for thoughts and feelings ¿spoken¿ primarily through art and elaborated upon through writing. Readers are encouraged to draw, write, and create directly in the book. These images, symbols, and journal entries then become a ¿personal signature¿ that can be accessed and explored to resolve any obstacles to emotional well-being. Fifty-eight expressive art projects and corresponding written exercises lead readers through specific stages of self-discovery related to disordered eating patterns, body image issues, relationships, life skills, emotions, self love, and personal transformation. These various tasks can be completed independently, in conjunction with individual therapy, in a treatment facility or self-help group, or in an educational setting. A list of basic, inexpensive materials is provided.This workbook is appropriate not only for individuals who are seeking answers to a variety of issues with food and weight, but also for the professionals who want innovative materials to use with clients in the recovery process.




Me and My ED


Book Description

'Me and My ED' uses over 60 illustrations to explore the inner workings of one of the world's most misunderstood illnesses, Eating Disorders. Written for all ages, health professionals, carers and sufferers, 'Me and My ED' allows readers to understand why someone may develop an Eating Disorder and how it's functions go far beyond a means of losing weight. 'Me and My ED' reads as a story book and is told from the perspective of someone who suffers from an Eating Disorder. Characters, Christie, and her personified Eating Disorder, Ana, share a complex and enmeshed relationship that serves as a fundamental, yet horrific period in Christie's life. It is believed that weight loss is the disease itself, however it is merely a side effect of a mental illness. 'Me and My ED' is the first of its kind to illustrate what occurs in the mind of somebody with an Eating Disorder. Professionals across the globe are also using this book to engage their clients and help them better understand their illnesses.




The Use of the Creative Therapies with Chemical Dependency Issues


Book Description

dependence, play therapy, and filial therapy; songs, music and sobriety; dance/movement therapy as an effective clinical intervention; using expressive arts therapy with young male offenders; a case study of dance/movement therapy with the dually diagnosed in a methadone treatment program; recovering identity and stimulating growth; individual drama therapy and the alcoholic; existential drama therapy and addictive behavior; and poetry therapy in the treatment of addictions. The strategies and discussions contained in this book will be of special interest to educators, students, and therapists as well as people struggling with substance abuse." --Book Jacket.




Medical Art Therapy with Children


Book Description

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.




Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Art Therapy


Book Description

This book focusses on art therapy as a treatment of PTSD in both theory and practice. It includes an in-depth look at what PTSD is, how it develops, and how art therapists should approach and treat it, with a focus on furthering social justice. The chapters cover a wide variety of contexts, including adults at a rape crisis centre, veterans, children in group homes and patients at substance use facilities. The second section of the book includes invaluable practical strategies and interventions based on the author's decades of experience in the field. It also discusses more complex concepts, including the impact of avoidance in maintaining symptoms of PTSD, and considers how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can guide art therapy interventions.




Unpolished Journey


Book Description

Unpolished Journey takes the reader through a raw and uncensored look at what recovery from an eating disorder, depression, and PTSD look like on a daily basis. The book is a collection of journal entries spanning the course of six years where through poetry, short stories, prose, and a jumble of other thoughts an honest portrayal of the realities of mental illness are unearthed. Morgan Blair is an artist whose work is inspired by her mental health recovery journey. She is the founder of Unpolished Journey, an organization where creatives effected by mental health can share and sell their work. Morgan graduate of School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is currently getting her masters at Northwestern University where she is studying to become a therapist. Whether painting, drawing, taking pictures, making videos, writing, or anything in between, Morgan can always be found getting her hands dirty while creating a new piece of art. Morgan never stays in one place and is always traveling around, exploring the world, and finding new spaces that fill her soul. Currently you can find her hiking mountains in Colorado and camping in back country places.