The Modern History of Art Therapy in the United States

Over the years, art therapy pioneers have contributed towards the informal and formal beginnings of this fascinating and innovative profession. The development of the art therapy profession concerns a special breed of person who discovered the profou... Read more

Over the years, art therapy pioneers have contributed towards the informal and formal beginnings of this fascinating and innovative profession. The development of the art therapy profession concerns a special breed of person who discovered the profound and unique power of the integration of art and psychology and had the energy and drive to create the new field. Important movements and milestones are highlighted including the dilemmas and crucial events of art therapy’s evolution. Unique features include: the early days and influence; the United States at the time of the formation of the art therapy profession; Florence Cane and the Walden School; Margaret Naumberg’s theory of psychodynamic art therapy; Edith Kramer’s theory of art as therapy; the Menninger Foundation, art therapy in Ohio and the Buckeye Art Therapy Association; Elinor Ulman and the first art therapy journal; Hanna Yaxa Kwiatkowska and the invention of family art therapy; a brief history of art therapy in Great Britain and Canada; the 1960s and their influence on the development of art therapy; Myra Levick and the establishment of the American Art Therapy Association; the pioneer art therapists and their qualities and patterns; the definition and expansion of art therapy; the development of master’s-level art therapy; art therapists of color and influence; the history of humanistic psychology and art therapy; the expressive arts therapy; Jungian art therapy; and the art therapists that began in the 1970s. Chronologies and study questions for discussion appear at the end of most chapters. Finally, the book presents issues essential to the field today such as art therapy registration, certification and licensing, art therapy assessment procedures, research, multiculturalism and art therapy as an international phenomenon. This text will be of primary interest to art therapists and students, to art educators and historians, and to those interested in how mental health disciplines evolve. Less