Group Art Therapy: Practice and Research

Group Art Therapy: Practice and Research is the first textbook of its kind, taking into account practice-based evidence and using a transtheoretical approach to present a range of art therapy group interventions. The book covers essential topics including leadership, art making, successful therapeutic factors, and the basic stages of developing and facilitating groups. Offering practical information not only to students but also to experienced practitioners, the chapters provide details about preparation and practice, note-taking and documentation, and research tips. Adhering to the most up-to-date educational standards and ethical codes of art therapy, the book covers the full range of settings and art therapy approaches. This text will prepare art therapy graduate students and practitioners to lead groups in a variety of settings, theoretical approaches, and applications.

Table of Contents:
1. Theories of Art Therapy Groups 2. Types and Formats of Art Therapy Groups 3. Art Media 4. Dynamics That Work 5. Therapeutic Factors in Art Therapy Groups 6. Group Leadership 7. Stages of Group Development and Group Preparation 8. Beginning Stage 9. Working Stage 10. Ending Stage 11. Documentation and Evaluation of Groups

About the Author :
Megan Robb is an art therapist, educator, and researcher who has presented nationally and internationally. She is professor and program director of art therapy counseling at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where she focuses on integrating relational cultural theory, group practice, and art therapy.

Review :
"Megan A. Robb’s book on the practice and research of art therapy groups is both timely and much needed. Beginning with an historical analysis of the evolution of group therapy, Robb effectively weaves together the neglected contributions of Black and brown art therapists and reviews the many formats in which group art therapy has been conceptualized and practiced. The book eloquently bridges theory and practice and advances diverse possibilities for art therapy." —Savneet K. Talwar, professor, Department of Art Therapy and Counseling, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA "In a new book on group art therapy, Robb brings a critical lens to previous texts that largely focus on a medical and psychodynamic model, missing out on the rich history of using group art therapy to build relationships, bridge communities, and address social issues. By including a range of theoretical orientations, multiple views of how to use the art, and a more humanistic view of membership and leadership in a group, this book will serve to inform and educate a new generation of art therapists to expand our understanding of art therapy." — Sarah E. Kremer, PhD, LPCC, ATR-BC, senior lecturer, Dominican University of California, USA; clinical director, Puente de la Costa Sur, USA