family art therapy: foundations of theory and practice

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This article was downloaded by: [University of North Carolina] On: 10 November 2014, At: 22:12 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uart20 Family Art Therapy: Foundations of Theory and Practice Kate Sullivan a a Ann Arbor , MI Published online: 07 Dec 2013. To cite this article: Kate Sullivan (2013) Family Art Therapy: Foundations of Theory and Practice, Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 30:4, 181-182, DOI: 10.1080/07421656.2014.847256 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2014.847256 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

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Page 1: Family Art Therapy: Foundations of Theory and Practice

This article was downloaded by: [University of North Carolina]On: 10 November 2014, At: 22:12Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House,37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art TherapyAssociationPublication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/uart20

Family Art Therapy: Foundations of Theory andPracticeKate Sullivan aa Ann Arbor , MIPublished online: 07 Dec 2013.

To cite this article: Kate Sullivan (2013) Family Art Therapy: Foundations of Theory and Practice, Art Therapy: Journal of theAmerican Art Therapy Association, 30:4, 181-182, DOI: 10.1080/07421656.2014.847256

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2014.847256

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) containedin the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of theContent. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon andshould be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable forany losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoeveror howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use ofthe Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematicreproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in anyform to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

Page 2: Family Art Therapy: Foundations of Theory and Practice

Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 30(4) pp. 181–184 C© AATA, Inc. 2013

reviewsFamily Art Therapy: Foundations ofTheory and Practiceby Christine Kerr, Janice Hoshino,Judy Sutherland, Sharyl Thode Parashak,and Linda Lea McCarleyNew York, NY: Routledge, 2008241 pp., black & white ills., $44.95 hardcoverISBN: 978-0-415-95464-8Reviewed by Kate Sullivan, Ann Arbor, MI

Family Art Therapy presents a practical guide for thebeginning family art therapist. Collectively, the authorshave years of experience providing family therapy usingboth traditional and art therapy approaches, and are alsoaccomplished educators. Christine Kerr, Janice Hoshino,Sharyl Thode Parashak, Judy H. Sutherland, and Linda LeaMcCarley are all board certified art therapists; Hoshino andMcCarley have additional qualifications. With each con-tributing one or more chapters in their area(s) of expertise,the authors build upon the history of family therapy and arttherapy to place current theoretical approaches into contextin each chapter throughout the text, clarified with clinicalapplications and case illustrations. Students and beginningprofessionals will find a wealth of information to anchortheir understanding of family art therapy.

This text is intended to provide students, educators,and art therapists with basic knowledge of family therapytheory and its application within a dynamic, ethical, cul-turally appropriate, informed practice of family art therapy.Family therapy has evolved from a focus on systems theory,which has sometimes constricted the general understandingof “family,” to include various humanistic and existentialapproaches. The book is arranged in a historical timeline(Kerr), from the early pioneers of family therapy and arttherapy (Hoshino), early systems theory (Parashak; Kerr)and structural organization theories (Hoshino), to thecurrent approaches of experiential family therapy (Kerr),Adlerian family art therapy (Sutherland), filial/Rogerian arttherapy (McCarley), and narrative art therapy (Hoshinoand Cameron). Two chapters, described below, exemplifythe range of historical and contemporary material in thetext as applied to the field of family art therapy.

“Structural Family Art Therapy” (Chapter 5, Hoshino)presents Minuchin’s family therapy theoretical approach.At first reading I wanted to reject structural therapy, withits focus on a traditional model of the family, as not beinginclusive of today’s more varied family constellations. Afterfurther reflection, I believe that structural theory may be

the most appropriate approach for some clients of moretraditional families, such as can be found in many Latinoand Asian cultures. The main tenet of structural theoryis that family rules, values, and behaviors are handeddown through multiple generations. Hoshino reviews coreelements of this theory—for example, that invisible rulesgovern actions and responsibilities. She explains the con-cepts of complementarity, constraints, and coalitions andpresents how appropriate goals are framed. The art therapistexpands upon the tasks of accommodation, maintenance,tracking, and mimesis by using art materials to help familymembers visually access and understand how their currentroles may be contributing to the family’s problems. Thetechnique of family mapping can be expanded by the arttherapist with a modified kinetic family drawing, by familymembers, to explore individual roles and alliances withinthe family, thus opening the possibility for change infunctioning. The family art therapist focuses on “modifyingthe present and not interpreting the past” (p. 128).

The filial art therapy approach, covered in Chapter8 by McCarley, was unfamiliar to me before reading thistext. Developed by McCarley in the 1990s, filial art therapyposits that parents have the best interests of their childrenat heart and benefit from learning techniques they canuse for “special art time” with their children at home.This in turn fosters a healthy relationship between theparent and child. The child’s sense of uniqueness and beingloved increases while the parent develops competency andimproved parenting skills. Each step taught to parentsin this approach is carefully explained with a focus onspecific goals: “A—Acknowledge the child’s feelings, wishes,wants; B—Communicate the limit; C—Target acceptablealternatives” (p. 188). McCarley is clear and concise in herpresentation of these goals and how they are accomplished.She advises the therapist to work on the goals with the par-ent and to reinforce learning until the parent has developedthe parenting skills to effect the desired change. McCarley’swriting is accessible, such that I was able to give up myinitial negativity and embrace the theoretical approach asable to initiate positive changes throughout the family.

Family Art Therapy offers a broad base for the beginningpractitioner of family art therapy with sound theoretical un-derpinnings. Brief case illustrations illuminate the goals rele-vant to each theory without becoming the main focus of thebook. This focus on theory is a strength and fills a neededgap when compared to other art therapy texts. For example,Wadeson (2010) included a chapter on family art therapy inher revised textArt Psychotherapy that described couples ther-apy and multifamily group therapy along with specific arttasks and content considerations. However, her discussion

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182 REVIEWS

of certain elements in client artwork was based upon evalua-tive sessions and did not offer theoretical basics or informa-tion on how to conduct ongoing therapy.

I would recommend Family Art Therapy: Foundations ofTheory and Practice as an excellent introduction to familyart therapy. There are some limitations to consider. Chap-ter 1 covers material on the depiction of the family in im-ages throughout history, which I believe is not essential formost art therapists who are well acquainted with historicalart. However, the author’s suggestion to use historical de-pictions of families and family relationships in family arttherapy practice may be helpful to readers. In addition, ed-ucators may need to augment this text with other resourcesfor a more comprehensive understanding of the theoreticalparadigms discussed. Apart from these limitations, art ther-apists who are beginning to explore family art therapy willbenefit from this text. As Hoshino summarized, “I have longfelt that verbal therapy alone is limiting—those who holdthe least power. .. may not have a voice in the therapeuticsetting,” continuing, “art balances the power differential in-herent in families and provides . . . a nonverbal voice throughthe art process” (p. 119).

Reference

Wadeson, H. (2010). Art psychotherapy (2nd ed.). New York, NY:Wiley & Sons.

A Psychoanalytic Approachto Visual Artistsby James W. HamiltonLondon, England: Karnac Books, 2012211 pp., $38.95 paperISBN: 978-1-7804-9014-4Reviewed by Anne Mills, Alexandria, VA

A Psychological Approach to Visual Artists by psychiatristJames Hamilton is a collection of short psychobiographiesabout three painters (Rothko,Mondrian, Picasso), an assem-blagist (Cornell), a photographer (Weston), several film di-rectors (Bergman, Truffaut, Tarantino, von Donnersmarck)and, oddly, an art critic (Greenberg). This book is a sequelto Hamilton’s 2009 Life and Art: The Creative Synthesis inLiterature (also published by Karnac Books), which I havenot read.

Hamilton’s main sources for this work were SigmundFreud, psychoanalytic writers on creativity, and psychoana-lytically influenced psychobiographers. When examples ofart were needed in order to make a point, Hamilton re-ferred to the artists’ works briefly, with a few phrases to de-scribe their content only. For example, his interesting Chap-ter 9, “Quentin Tarantino,” simply recounted the plot ofone movie (Pulp Fiction), using the director’s biography andstatements to bolster Hamilton’s analysis of the film direc-tor’s personality and the movie’s latent content. He applied

psychoanalytic concepts such as castration anxiety, sublima-tion, and reaction formation to both the movie and the di-rector; both, it appears, were regarded as roughly the samething.

According to its author, this book is about various un-conscious factors that are involved in the creative process.However, from reading it one learns mostly about each in-dividual artist’s biography and personality. There is littleto be learned about the artist’s works of art and even lessabout how he created them. Hamilton referenced Cubismand other art historical influences, but presented very littleabout an artwork’s palette, composition, texture, juxtaposi-tions, and all the elements that comprise the piece. Hamil-ton’s text is limited in that the author did not use the lan-guage of art to any great extent.

In his acknowledgements Hamilton expressed hisdebt to numerous biographers of artists, including arttherapist Laurie Wilson. However, it is important to notethat Wilson’s methodology was very different from that ofHamilton. Her scholarly work on the artist Giacometti waswritten after many years of study, using original art his-torical and primary source materials, including interviews,archives, unpublished letters, and pictorial analysis. BecauseHamilton does not demonstrate much attention to the artimage itself, Chapter 3 on Piet Mondrian was weaker thanart therapist Ani Buk’s (1993) sensitive presentation on theartist a number of years ago at the annual conference of theAmerican Art Therapy Association.

Despite my appreciation for psychoanalytic theory I wasunconvinced by some of Hamilton’s pronouncements in thistext. For example Chapter 1, “Mark Rothko,” as a wholepresented plausible hypotheses about deprivation and theartist’s need for symbolic reparation, which were supportedby Rothko’s own insightful words. However, when Hamil-ton asserted that Rothko’s claustrophobia was an outcomeof prolonged swaddling as a baby (without considering otherfactors, such as Rothko’s fear of entombment), I argued withhim in my mind and looked up recent research that relatesclaustrophobia to problems with spatial perception. Thisdiscovery is very intriguing in light of Rothko’s later paint-ings, which are composed of large, flat, and engulfing fieldsof color. Thus my criticism is that when an author overex-tends a hypothesis with claims that rest on slim evidence, herisks reader skepticism. Perhaps this book’s modest scope,short chapter format, and secondary source methodologysimply is insufficient to convince readers who are not alreadyreceptive to Hamilton’s ideas.

At times Hamilton included unrelated literary material,which is confusing. Apparently Hamilton added this mate-rial to demonstrate how the psychological issues of a partic-ular writer (e.g., loss, nostalgia) parallel those of the visualartist under discussion. Unfortunately, because Hamiltondid not acknowledge his own subjective, aesthetic, or uncon-scious preferences or motives for their inclusion, the quotesfeel like digressions that undermine his arguments.

For my part, this text reflects a lost opportunity. Con-siderable work went into it, but I did not feel the author’spassion for the subject. Of the 10 artists scrutinized in this

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