The Handbook of Art Therapy and Digital Technology

About the Book

Interest in the use of digital technology in art therapy has grown significantly in recent years. This book provides an authoritative overview of the applications of digital art therapy with different client groups and considers the implications for practice.

Alongside Cathy Malchiodi, the contributors review the pros and cons of introducing digital technology into art therapy, address the potential ethical and professional issues that can arise and give insight into the effect of digital technology on the brain. They cover a wide range of approaches, from therapeutic filmmaking to the use of tablet and smartphone technology in therapy. Detailed case studies bring the practicalities of using digital technology with children, adolescents and adults to life and the use of social media in art therapy practice, networking and community-building is also discussed.

Table of Contents:
Section One. Foundations. 1. Introduction to Art Therapy and Digital Technology. Cathy Malchiodi. 2. Ethics, Digital Technology and Social Media. Cathy Malchiodi, Donald Cutcher, and Kristin Belkofer. 3. Interpersonal Downloading: The Relational and Creative Impacts of Technology and New Media in Therapy. Kristin Belkofer and Chris Belkofer. 4. Your Client's Brain on Digital Technology. Cathy Malchiodi. Section Two. The Digital Toolbox-Methods and Media. 5. New Media and Their Effects in Art Therapy. Shaun McNiff. 6. Photo-Art Therapy. Alexander Kopytin. 7. Therapeutic Filmmaking. J. Lauren Johnson. 8. Digital Storytelling and Narrative Therapy. Bronwen Gray and Alan Young. 9. A Telehealth Primer for Art Therapy. Jedediah Walls. 10. The Animation Project. Joe Kavitski and Brian Austin. 11. There's an App for That. Cathy Malchiodi. 12. Virtual Reality Art Therapy. Jeff Lohrius and Cathy Malchiodi. 13. Social Networking Platforms and Social Media. Cathy Malchiodi. Section Three. Clinical and Educational Applications. 14. Digital Art Therapy with Children in Medical Settings. Molly K. Kometiani. 15. Expressive Remix Therapy: Engaging Adolescents Through the Use Of Digital Media Art. Jeffery Jamerson. 16. The One Project: Therapeutic Photography with Adults. Bryce Evans. 17. Dibaajimowin (Stories): Health Promotion through Digitalized Oral Stories. Debra Johnson-Fuller and Elizabeth Warson. 18. Group Art Therapy and Telemedicine. Gudrun Jones, Rachel Rahman and Martine Robson. 19. Digital Devices as Creative Expressive Tools for Adults with Autism. Olena Darewych. 20. Arts-Based Research and Digital Technologies. Shaun McNiff. 21. Computational Art Therapy and Art Therapy Assessment and Research. Seong-in Kim. 22. Digital Media Inclusion in Art Therapy Coursework. Natalie Rae Carlton.

About the Author :
Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, ATR-BC, LPCC, LPAT, REAT, is an art therapist and author of several books, including The Art Therapy Sourcebook and Handbook of Art Therapy (2nd ed.). She is the Founder and Director of the Trauma-Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute. Shaun McNiff PhD, ATR is the Provost and Dean of Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. An internationally-renowned figure in the creative arts therapies, he has written many critically-acclaimed books including Art as Medicine: Creating a Therapy of the Imagination,Educating the Creative Arts Therapist and Depth Psychology of Art. Dr McNiff has been honoured on many occasions for his pioneering contributions to the creative arts therapy field, and he is the 1997 recipient of the America Art Therapy Association's Honorary Life Member Award. Dr Natalie Rae Carlton is an Associate Professor of Art therapy and Arts-based research in the Creative Arts Therapies Department at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Review :
An absolute 'must-read' for all who seek to understand the rapidly expanding role of digital media in art therapy, including its benefits, challenges, and limitations. I highly recommend this invaluable guide! Art therapists, practicing today, we face an ever-growing challenge as new technologies become more available and are integrated within our clinical work. Malchiodi's extensively researched Handbook identifies these many challenges, including the integration of social media, conforming to professional ethical standards and complying with mental health and health regulations, and provides an exceptionally clear guide to help us to rise to these challenges while protecting the integrity of our uniquely creative clinical focus. This is a must read for any clinician working with technology within their clinical practice. Malchiodi understands digital media as creative and accessible tools for building therapeutic relationships. Exploring these diverse media, in the context of these healing relationships, supports clients in creating rich imagery. And examining the individual expressive qualities of particular media, as Malchiodi and her contributors do so well, enables art therapists and art therapy students to realize the potential of these materials. Initially with Cathy Malchiodi's new publication in hand, I found myself asking, how much do I want to become familiar with digital technology in my art therapy world? Through the many examples of new media and digital applications presented in this book, the obviousness of using these modalities in our practice becomes clear. Kopytin's chapter on photo-art therapy, for example, opens up an extended accessible range of collage activities. A new milieu can be formed using the digital in our community-based and clinical practices. An excellent and extremely timely publication where current issues of practice, research and ethics are clearly laid out and explored. Malchiodi belongs to a small group of pioneers in this field and uses expertly her depth of understanding to address its potentials and pitfalls. Malchiodi has done it again! This text is an accessible and comprehensive guide that invites a range of perspectives to explore meaning making from multiple technological data sources and helps to further define the evolution of art therapy in contemporary healthcare practice. Peppered with case examples and thoughtful recommendations, the authors never lose focus on the value of interpersonal relatedness and emphasize the priorities that a transforming society must have on attending to the bio-psycho-social and spiritual components of holistic and patient-centered care.