The Dynamics of Art As Therapy With Adolescents

This new text is an in-depth exploration of the role of art therapy in the treatment of emotionally-disturbed adolescents. The book has grown out of the author¹s twenty-four years of clinical art therapy experience, much of which has been devoted to caring for severely hurting young people. There are three primary topics that are explored within the book¹s fifteen chapters. First, there is attention given to understanding the developmental issues facing adolescents and how these affect psychotherapeutic treatment. The author provides an outline of the phases of adolescent art therapy, including: the Resistance Phase, the Imaging Phase, the Immersion Phase, and the Letting Go Phase. In the second section, the author describes the ³art as therapy approach to art psychotherapy with adolescents.² Several chapters are devoted to examining components of this model. Particular attention is given to advancing an understanding of studio-based art therapy that is deeply anchored in clinical psychotherapeutic practice. The final main topic presents Moon¹s therapeutic approach to working with adolescents through ³responsive art making.² This approach is described in a multitude of case stories and vignettes that are deeply moving, inspiring, and informative. A positive by-product of the book is that the reader will find many practical suggestions regarding materials, artistic tasks, and therapeutic techniques. This outstanding book shares the author¹s essential philosophical, technical, pragmatic, and ethical aspects of practicing art therapy that have made him a standard-bearer for all those who believe in the therapeutic power of art.