What do you think?
Rate this book
Art As Therapy With Children
Book by Edith Kramer
238 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
10 people are currently reading
181 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Read
February 22, 2015Art therapists such as Margaret Naumburg likewise initially focused mainly on the interpretation of unconscious meaning and of graphic symbols in art production. When the close relationship between graphic form and character structure was noted, interest in the formal qualities of art work and in diagnosis quickened. When, finally, psychoanalytic ego psychology was better understood it was recognized that inner consistency and unity of form and content in art were the work of the ego, and aesthetic qualities became phenomena worthy of observation. pg 5
On the whole, art therapy and psychotherapy reinforce and supplement one another. By opening the door to a new order of experiences wherein ideas can be told and retold in many different guises, art therapy prepares the child for the symbolic interchange of psychotherapy. In turn, children who are in treatment are apt to produce art that has much personal meaning and emotional impact because psychotherapy has made them more aware of themselves. Art then often becomes a preferred area for re-enacting the inner tensions and changes engendered by psychotherapy. pg 33.
Inasmuch as the narcissistic investment of art work contributes to self-esteem, art is related to all productive work, in particular to the crafts. Both art and crafts develop manual skill, intelligent handling of materials, and related ego functions. Even though personality expresses itself in many ways in the crafts, the element of confrontation is much diluted. - pg 33
...the art therapist supported the child's ego in an area where functioning was already possible but still precarious. I strengthened Clyde's beginning capacity for reality testing, supported Bernard's attempts at self-assertion, and helped Judy to attain a more secure sense of identity. In doing it, I responded to the unconscious as well as the conscious elements of the child's behavior, but I purposely did not uncover or interpret unconscious meaning. Instead I performed a kind of first aid that made creative functioning possible. When such help is successful it gives the child a feeling of being very deeply understood. This understanding encourages creative rather than defensive processes. pg 36
Everyone who has worked with groups of children knows that nothing inspires children more than the example of other children working well. The presence of even one child who readily responds to art can get a whole group going the way no teacher can, and luckily talent is so widely distributed that it is rarely missing in any collection of children. On the other hand, the talented child cannot function as a catalyst for the others unless the teacher sets the stage and supports the process. pg 103
On the whole, art therapy and psychotherapy reinforce and supplement one another. By opening the door to a new order of experiences wherein ideas can be told and retold in many different guises, art therapy prepares the child for the symbolic interchange of psychotherapy. In turn, children who are in treatment are apt to produce art that has much personal meaning and emotional impact because psychotherapy has made them more aware of themselves. Art then often becomes a preferred area for re-enacting the inner tensions and changes engendered by psychotherapy. pg 33.
Inasmuch as the narcissistic investment of art work contributes to self-esteem, art is related to all productive work, in particular to the crafts. Both art and crafts develop manual skill, intelligent handling of materials, and related ego functions. Even though personality expresses itself in many ways in the crafts, the element of confrontation is much diluted. - pg 33
...the art therapist supported the child's ego in an area where functioning was already possible but still precarious. I strengthened Clyde's beginning capacity for reality testing, supported Bernard's attempts at self-assertion, and helped Judy to attain a more secure sense of identity. In doing it, I responded to the unconscious as well as the conscious elements of the child's behavior, but I purposely did not uncover or interpret unconscious meaning. Instead I performed a kind of first aid that made creative functioning possible. When such help is successful it gives the child a feeling of being very deeply understood. This understanding encourages creative rather than defensive processes. pg 36
Everyone who has worked with groups of children knows that nothing inspires children more than the example of other children working well. The presence of even one child who readily responds to art can get a whole group going the way no teacher can, and luckily talent is so widely distributed that it is rarely missing in any collection of children. On the other hand, the talented child cannot function as a catalyst for the others unless the teacher sets the stage and supports the process. pg 103
December 19, 2023
Over the year I have used this book as a reference. It helped me understand the unconscious meaning of graphic symbols used within an art making process. I feel this is a valuable book to have as a reference if you are studying psychotherapy, but a book to dip in and out of and not to read in one go.
Happy reading 📖
Happy reading 📖
August 10, 2021
Read roughly half and skimmed areas without relevance to my topic. Very thorough and an interesting look into the production of vital art and the artmaking that is created through therapeutic processes.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews