Using Textile Arts and Handcrafts in Therapy with Women: Weaving Lives Back Together

by Anne Futterman Collier

Art-making with fabrics and fibres is a natural and creative method of self-expression and can enrich the healing process. This book is a complete guide to using textiles in therapy with female clients. Reviewing the role of textile-based handcrafts in the lives of women today, and integrating the life issues they face with the therapeutic making of fibre art, the book covers everything from the psychology of this therapeutic approach to how to carry it out effectively with a wide range of clients. Specific techniques and suggestions for practice are provided, alongside chapters on expressive writing, guided imagery, and cross-cultural applications of therapy. This innovative book will be a useful tool for therapists, students, female artists looking to build on self-exploration, and anybody else interested in the therapeutic benefits that art-making with textiles can bring about.

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 15, 2011