Contemporary Art Therapy with Adolescents

by Shirley Riley

Contemporary Art Therapy with Adolescents offers practical and imaginative solutions to the multifaceted challenges that clinicians face when treating young people. The author fuses the contemporary theories of clinical treatment with the creative processes of art therapy to arrive at a synthesis which yields successful outcomes when working with adolescents. Clinicians of allied disciplines, particularly art therapists, will find practical suggestions for using imagery to enrich their relationships with teenaged clients. The process of using art-making therapeutically, and the challenges of applying creativity in the current mental health world, are explored. Shirley Riley reviews current theories on adolescent development and therapy, and emphasizes the primary importance of relying on the youths' own narrative in the context of their social and economic backgrounds. She has found this approach preferential to following pre-designed assessment directives as a primary function of art therapy. Family, group and individual treatment are examined, as is the adolescent's response to short- and long-term treatment in residential and therapeutic school settings. The book is firmly rooted in Riley's clinical experience of working with this age group, and her proven ability to combine contemporary theories of adolescent treatment with inventive and effective art expressions.

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book includes interviews with art therapists working in different settings with adolescents, examples of work done with adolescents, descriptions of directives, explanation of social constructivism, pitfalls for the therapist working with adolescents and more. It is a must read for anyone working with this population.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Art offers good options for adolescents who are resistant to talk therapy. This was a great book on the subject. It gave a nice overview of art therapy methods without being too basic or boring. Good examples and practical ideas.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be very dry and theoretical when I was looking for something more practical.

[Blackbook]

Class/textbook