Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Even in the face of challenging conditions, art therapy treatment offers meaningful opportunities for growth. It's not always easy, though, to navigate the complex interplay of art processes, relational states, and developmental theories. For any clinician looking for guidance on the ins and outs of using art therapy with children, there is no better resource than The Practitioner's Guide to Child Art Therapy . Both graduate students and professionals will find its pages replete with strategies for developing engaging and effective tools for understanding children's creative expression and applying this understanding toward treatment. Clinically relevant and theoretically sound, this book synthesizes the best of the literature on art development, art therapy and child development, while emphasizing the powerful role of art media in fostering creativity and relational growth. Compelling case material and numerous art examples illustrate psychosocial, neurobiological, and attachment theories as well as practical applications, including working with attachment disruptions, anxiety, grief, parental conflict, economic poverty, chemical dependency, child abuse, and autism spectrum disorder.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• List of Tables and Figures (p. x)
• Preface (p. xiii)
• Acknowledgments (p. xvi)
• Part I An Art-Based View of Child Development (p. 1)
• 1 The Pictorial Language of Child Development: Theoretical Underpinnings (p. 3)
• Child Art Expression: A Snapshot of Child Development (p. 3)
• Importance of Developmental Theories (p. 6)
• Expression of Destructive Feelings and Developmental Stages (p. 7)
• Artistic Development: Important Theorists (p. 9)
• Art Expression and Maturation (p. 12)
• Psychological Theories of Child Development (p. 13)
• Childhood Defenses (p. 14)
• Theoretical Underpinnings as Tools (p. 17)
• 2 Artwork Tells the Story of Child Development (p. 18)
• Infancy: The Basis for a Sense of Hope (p. 18)
• The Terrible and Wonderful Twos (p. 19)
• The Play Age, Years 3-6 (p. 23)
• Middle Childhood, Years 7-9 (p. 28)
• Artistic Development and Defenses of the Preteen Child, Years 9-12 (p. 30)
• Defenses as a Means of Adaptation (p. 33)
• Conclusion (p. 34)
• Part II Interpersonal Developmental States: An Art-Based View (p. 35)
• 3 The Pictorial Language of Early Developmental States (p. 37)
• The Developing Brain (p. 38)
• Repairing Disruptions Through Art Therapy (p. 38)
• Relevance of Early Relational Stages for Clinical Work (p. 39)
• Early Relational Stages and Child Art Therapy (p. 40)
• An Ongoing Exploration: Early Development and Art Therapy Theory and Research (p. 54)
• 4 The Pictorial Language of Early Relational Trauma (p. 55)
• The Importance of Early Experience (p. 55)
• The Early Self A Relational Being (p. 56)
• Disrupted Early Attachment and Treatment (p. 57)
• Attachment Research (p. 61)
• A Conceptual Framework (p. 62)
• Part III The Pictorial Language of Resilience and Vulnerability (p. 63)
• 5 Resilience: The Capacity to Struggle with Challenges (p. 65)
• Protective and Risk Factors (p. 65)
• Building Resilience (p. 66)
• Summing Up (p. 75)
• 6 Vulnerability and Fluctuating Developmental States (p. 76)
• Shifting Developmental States (p. 76)
• Degree of Disturbance, Different Settings, and Associated Interventions (p. 77)
• Risk Factors, Art Therapy, and Treatment Goals (p. 88)
• Part IV Tuning In to Children and Parents (p. 89)
• 7 Planning, Practical Matters, and Safety (p. 91)
• Therapist and Client Anxiety (p. 91)
• Safety (p. 92)
• Ensuring Confidentiality (p. 94)
• Providing Structure (p. 94)
• Creating Directives (p. 97)
• Asking Questions (p. 100)
• The Art Therapist's Attitude (p. 101)
• Conclusion (p. 102)
• 8 Engaging, Assessing, and Learning From Children (p. 103)
• Ways to Learn From Children (p. 103)
• The Need to Focus (p. 104)
• Artwork Series During Initial Sessions (p. 104)
• General Guidelines for Assessing Children (p. 117)
• 9 Engaging and Learning From Parents (p. 119)
• Art Therapy and the Facilitating Environment (p. 119)
• The Pitfall of Overidentification (p. 119)
• The Parent-Therapist Relationship: A Delicate Territory (p. 120)
• Parental Involvement During the Initial Assessment Process (p. 121)
• Defining the Structure (p. 121)
• Conclusion (p. 136)
• Part V Art-Based Attunement: Facilitating Repair (p. 137)
• 10 Mentalization, Trauma, Attachment, and Art Therapy Narratives (p. 139)
• Mentalization in Development, Therapy, and the Community (p. 139)
• Mentalization and the Developing Brain (p. 140)
• Art Therapy Narratives and Mentalization (p. 141)
• Relative Goals for Different Cases (p. 158)
• 11 Building Sturdiness: Repairing Developmental Disruptions (p. 159)
• The Importance of Sturdiness (p. 159)
• Stages of Therapy (p. 159)
• "Lloyd," a 10-Year-Old Boy (p. 160)
• An Overview of the Therapeutic Process (p. 171)
• 12 Creativity, Containment, and the Therapist's Use of Self (p. 176)
• The Therapist's Relational Style (p. 176)
• Attitudes About Art Materials (p. 177)
• Other Relational Issues (p. 181)
• Containment Through Behavior Management (p. 186)
• Mystery, Ambiguity, and Growth (p. 193)
• References (p. 195)
• Index (p. 200)

Author notes provided by Syndetics