Psychotherapy with People in the Arts: Nurturing Creativity

by Terry S. Trepper

Learn to free creativity from the shackles of emotional conflicts!This riveting collection of case histories illustrates the dark interplay of neurosis and creativity. Psychotherapy with People in the Arts explores the struggles of writers, painters, actors, and composers to reconcile their overwhelming need to create and the self-doubts, frustrations, and neuroses that block their potential. In addition to ten inspiring tales of healing and self-knowledge, Psychotherapy with People in the Arts provides a solid introduction to the primary issues related to emotional disorders and creativity. It begins with a study of the notoriously reclusive and eccentric writer J. D. Salinger. Using both theory and case example, it shows how family history, present relations, and genetics can combine to impede the flow of an artist’s natural gifts-and how a good therapist can help unblock that creative power. It also includes a series of tests to diagnose blocked creativity. Psychotherapy with People in the Arts explores such compelling themes Psychotherapy with People in the Arts is a fascinating look at a complex and controversial subject. Though not everyone is a professional artist, every human being has creative potential that can be blocked by emotional disturbances. And every therapist, mental health educator, and artist will find rich sources of information and inspiration in this book. Visit the author's website at

148 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 2002

About the author

Terry S. Trepper, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized scholar, educator, and researcher, winning numerous awards and honors in each of these domains. He has been a professor at Purdue University Northwest since 1981 and prior to that worked in community mental health as a family psychologist. Terry’s scholarly and training interests include the evidence-basis of solution-focused therapy, systemic and solution-focused approaches to treating substance abuse, and positive psychology.

Trepper is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Purdue University Northwest and for the past 26 years has been the Editor of the Journal of Family Psychotherapy. Terry is the co-editor of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy: A Handbook of Evidence-Based Practice (with Cynthia Franklin, Wallace Gingerich, and Eric McCollum) Oxford University Press; co-author of More than Miracles: The State of the Art in Solution-Focused Therapy (with Steve de Shazer, Yvonne Dolan, Harry Korman, Eric McCollum, and Insoo Berg); co-author (with Mary Jo Barrett) of Systemic Treatment of Incest: A Therapeutic Handbook, published by Brunner/Routledge; Treating Incest: A Multiple Systems Perspective, published by Haworth Press; 101 Interventions in Family Therapy (with Thorana Nelson), published by Haworth Press, 1993, 101 MoreInterventions in Family Therapy (1995); and Family Solutions for Substance Abuse (with Eric McCollum) published by Haworth Press, 2001.