Introduction: Psychotherapy and the Arts—A Practitioner’s Guide

Abstract

There are many books focusing on the arts and therapy. A Google search on the number of titles of books with “art (and) therapy” numbered 1.7 million, with three-quarters of a million titles on “film therapy”, followed by 229,000 titles on “drama therapy” and 226,000 titles on “dance and therapy”. Indeed, Malchiodi (2005) traces a long history of using arts in healthcare. Less common are texts written by clinicians and academics from faculties of medicine and psychology who themselves express an additional, personal passion for the visual and/or performing arts. Many of the contributors in this book are professionals working in both domains. Every contributor to this book was invited to begin their chapter by describing their personal motivation for participating and, more specifically, what inspired them to pursue their interest in visual and/or performing arts alongside their primary professional commitments as clinicians or academics. Each author was asked to conclude their reflections and their reviews of relevant literature with some key points relevant to clinical practice.