A Practical Guide to Art Therapy Groups

Are you in need of some variety and imagination for your art therapy repertoire? If so, this is the book for you! Diane Fausek’s unique approaches, materials, and advice will inspire you to tap into your own well of creativity to design your own treatment plans. A Practical Guide to Art Therapy Groups lays out the ingredients and the step-by-step plans, but it’s up to you to mix in your own caring and therapeutic skills to get the results you want.A Practical Guide to Art Therapy Groups is the only book of its kind. It gives you not only fresh ideas, but also specific directions on topic and material implementation. With the book’s specific guidelines and practical advice, you will find planning therapeutic group sessions easier and less time-consuming. When struggling for ideas, you can turn to this book as a source for many appealing themes and issues, already organized and grouped together with compatible materials for your convenience. You will learn how to:

• interweave fabric techniques and collage with personal philosophies and challenges
• enhance sensory stimulation through collage
• use painting techniques to improve abstract thinking skills and the ability to find images
• develop collage techniques using both traditional and nontraditional materials
• employ nature objects that emphasize clients’own natural flaws and strengths
• use stencils and the individual’s silhouette to focus thoughts and energies at self-definition and group dynamicsWithin this book, you’ll find many successful treatment plans that have been used in long-term care settings with clients affected by Alzheimer’s, stroke complications, geri-psychiatric conditions, and developmental disabilities. Each plan can be adapted to fit your particular setting and the needs of your clients. Whether you are a student, a counselor, an art therapist, or an activity director, A Practical Guide to Art Therapy Groups can help you provide innovative, fun, and therapeutic opportunities for your clients and open the doors to communication.

Diane Fausek, BA, ADC, is Art Therapist at the Mt. Carmel Health and Rehabilitation Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She holds a BA in art therapy and behavioral science and is also a certified activity director. Ms. Fausek has been practicing art therapy for over ten years. A specialist who works with geriatric, geri-psychiatric, long-term care, and rehabilitation clients, she has spoken at conferences for the Adult Daycare Association of Wisconsin and the National Therapeutic Recreation Association. She currently writes a column for Creative Forecasting Inc.