Rap Therapy

by Don Elligan

.

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2004

Reviews

[Elisabeth Sepulveda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I have learned anything from time volunteering with urban communities/years as a camp counselor, it's the importance of complementing conversations with other mediums of communication such as art, music, dance, poetry, and rap. Specifically, in my time with students from urban communities, I found some of the most natural connections came from our common interest in games/sports and rap. This book (published in 2004) is about ten years old now, but for those unfamiliar with rap and how it can be used to communicate, it's a good start. I also liked the appendix in the back with titles listed by subject content, which can be helpful for those who aren't familiar with the genre. For those in a clinical setting who are meeting with individuals specifically for the purpose of therapy, the examples of how to integrate rap into these pre-established meeting times could be helpful.

For others who spend a lot of time with youth in troubled situations, this is helpful in some ways, but because our connections are naturally developed in casual environments, our approach and the following conversations are certainly different (and less cookie-cutter than the examples). I would like to see another book (updated to include how rap has evolved) for those who are interested in including rap in their interactions with students. This has come naturally for me from my own interests, but because of the positive results, I would love to see others who are less familiar with the genre gain a better understanding.