What is art therapy? How can art and therapy combine to help individuals understand aspects of their inner life? This new edition of The Handbook of Art Therapy is thoroughly revised and updated and includes new sections on neurobiological research, and a current review of literature and contemporary practice. It provides a comprehensive introduction to the field of art therapy in a variety of different settings. Caroline Case and Tessa Dalley draw on their experience of teaching and practising art therapy, concentrating on what art psychotherapists actually do, where they practice, and how and why art therapy is effective. First-hand accounts of the experience of art therapy from both therapists and clients are used throughout, enriching the discussion of subjects including: the art therapy room art and psychoanalysis art therapy and creativity working with groups in art therapy art therapy with individual patients. This straight-forward and highly practical Handbook will be invaluable not only as an introduction to the profession but also as a reference for students of art psychotherapy both during and after their training.

The image, the client and the therapist are three essential aspects of the art therapy relationship; each has a separate ‘voice’. In this book, originally published in 1993, the three voices come alive as the client, Kim, and the therapist, Gabrielle, tell the story of his path from suicidal despair to health and creativity through a series of extraordinary images. The images, chosen to represent the stages of Kim’s therapeutic experience, speak for themselves and convey their importance as a powerful catalyst for change. An outer voice, that of Tessa Dalley, provides a theoretical commentary on the process as it occurs, adding to the understanding of what is happening in the therapeutic encounter. This fully rounded account of clinical practice in art therapy offers a rare insight into common issues and dilemmas which will make the book of interest to both professional and non-professional readers alike.

Working through the process of image-making in a therapeutic relationship, the art therapist is able to explore feelings, fantasies, and myths in different setting with diverse client groups. Originally published in 1987 Images of Art Therapy is a collection of essays by experienced art therapists which discuss and develop both theoretical and practical issues central to art therapy. The authors describe how they work through the use of illustrated case material which includes children, adolescents, and adults, in normal schools, psychiatric hospitals, therapeutic communities, and out-patient clinics. Theoretical considerations include bereavement, play, transference, symbolism, and verbal versus non-verbal communication. The first book on art therapy, Art as Therapy, edited by Tessa Dalley, was a useful introduction to the subject. Images of Art Therapy expands the issues raised in the earlier book in more depth, and develops new and innovative ideas which it was hoped, at the time, would influence both the theory and practice of art therapy in the future.