250 Brief, Creative & Practical Art Therapy Techniques: A Guide for Clinicians and Clients

A great way to recover.

I love this book! It's easy to execute the activities and the prompts included with them are a great jumping off point for discussion. I use this with groups of adults in dual diagnosis treatment and they enjoy it (even though they sometimes pretend they don't lol). Some exercises need slight modification for different environments/populations but for the most part it's all there! I have to do at least 3 groups a day with ~5-12 clients each and sometimes I don't have time between that and the billing to sit down and really plan the next group. This helps a lot as so much of it is ready to go and all I have to do is collect materials and bring my skills as a counselor. My clients (after they're done pretending they don't want to do it) often take over and constructively run this group halfway themselves. I've seen them use these activities as a way to socialize with each other and gain peer support... even the most anxious and shy clients often seem to light up and talk during the exercises.It also is helpful because it doesn't make classist or treatment budget assumptions meaning like many books do meaning it can be used in public mental health services that include no/low-income clients without anyone feeling ailienated which is an issue I sometimes run into with other books on providing therapeutic interventions.I really recommend this book and I intend to use it for years to come.

I work in addiction medicine and have to run group therapy sessions with about 10 to 16 clients together. This is perfect for groups, as clients can get a lot out of discussing deeper topics that some clients may find hard discussing. Others may find value in using drawing or crafts as a coping strategy. A few will even be given some much needed positive self-esteem building due to their previously unnoticed art skills.I highly recommend this; so far I have used the Cognitive-Behavioral-Therapy (CBT), Anxiety & Stress, Mindfullness, and Self-esteem/Self-compassion focused exercises for my group sessions.Also, don't let yourself or clients/patients be limited to the exploration questions and procedures in each exercise. I recommend being flexible with client/patient answers, as well as allowing creativity to flourish through the use of multiple materials.

I gave the book four stars only because it is aimed at professionals rather than individual consumers. The descriptions of other patients are slightly distracting.

Parents, and guardians should be able to use this book too as a tool to get to know the children in their care better. Of course Clinical Evaluation using this product should be left to a professional therapist. Never the less. this book can be helpful I think, for even self reflection for older children and adults. It can be a fun and creative way to connect with and support communication from those who may not readily communicate their needs verbally.I feel this product is worth the money spent and reccommend it!

This is a lovely useful book full of simple ideas that can also be adjusted as necessary.

This is a book that you can actually use in sessions. Anytime you need an activity you can flip through it and find something that applies. They can be used briefly or expanded to open up a whole new conversation. This book is really helpful then hesitate to purchase it

I'm looking for something to use in conjunction with a mindfulness meditation group, but these exercises didn't seem to fill the bill. And they felt kinda hokey.