Understanding Children's Drawings

✍ Scribed by Malchiodi, Cathy A

• Publisher: Guilford Publications
• Year: 2012
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 467
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This practical resource demonstrates how all clinicians can broaden and enhance their work with children by integrating drawing into therapy. The book enables therapists to address the multidimensional aspects of children's art without resorting to simplistic explanations. Approaching drawing as a springboard for communication and change, Malchiodi offers a wealth of guidelines for understanding the intricate messages embedded in children's drawings and in the art-making process itself. Topics covered include how to assist children in making art, what questions to ask and when, and how to motivate children who are initially resistant to drawing. Assimilating extensive research and clinical experience, the book includes over 100 examples of children's work.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 2
Copyright Page......Page 3
Dedication......Page 5
Foreword......Page 6
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Preface......Page 11
Contents......Page 19
One. A Historical Perspective on Children's Drawings......Page 25
Projective Tests: Drawings as Measures of Intelligence and Personality......Page 27
Multidimensional Approaches to Understanding Children's Drawings......Page 40
Conclusion......Page 52
Two. Children's Drawings in Context......Page 55
What Motivates Children to Draw?......Page 57
Drawing as a Process......Page 65
The Importance of Materials......Page 68
The Influence of Environment......Page 72
Children's Drawing and the Therapeutic Relationship......Page 75
A Phenomenological Approach to Understanding Children's Drawings......Page 81
Conclusion......Page 88
Three. Working with Children and Their Drawings......Page 91
Drawings as Narratives......Page 94
Personal Beliefs about Children's Drawings and Their Use in Therapy......Page 97
The Role of the Therapist in the Drawing Process......Page 99
Is Talking Necessary?......Page 102
Making Sense of the Drawing and the Drawing Process......Page 112
Resistance to Drawing......Page 117
Responding to Sexual or Violent Content in Children's Drawings......Page 123
Conclusion......Page 128
Four. Developmental Aspects of Children's Drawings......Page 130
Developmental Levels in Children's Art......Page 131
The Importance of Developmental Aspects of Children's Drawings......Page 186
Drawings as Measures of Creative and Cognitive Capacities......Page 188
Unusual Drawing Abilities......Page 194
Conclusion......Page 199
Five. Emotional Content of Children's Drawings......Page 203
Uses of Drawing in Diagnosis and Treatment......Page 204
The Complexities of Emotional Content in Children's Drawings......Page 207
Childhood Depression......Page 218
Projective Drawing Tests, Art-Based Assessments, and Depression......Page 220
The Importance of Themes and Narratives in Assessing Depression......Page 227
Trauma......Page 240
Child Abuse and Exposure to Family or Societal Violence......Page 248
Sexual Abuse......Page 256
Dissociative Disorder......Page 269
Catastrophic Events......Page 272
Resilience and Trauma......Page 280
Conclusion......Page 285
Six. Interpersonal Aspects of Children's Drawings......Page 287
Children's Drawings of Their Families......Page 288
Drawings of Family Members......Page 298
House Drawings and Interpersonal Perspectives......Page 306
Interpersonal Relationship with the Therapist......Page 318
Gender and Children's Drawings......Page 322
Conclusion......Page 332
Seven. Somatic and Spiritual Aspects of Children's Drawings......Page 334
Somatic Conditions Expressed in Children's Drawings......Page 336
Color and Somatic Conditions......Page 343
Children's Beliefs about Illness and Their Drawings......Page 347
Special Considerations in Working with Children Who Have Physical Illnesses or Impairments......Page 352
Spiritual Aspects of Children's Drawings......Page 356
Children's Expressions of Terminal Illness, Death, and Dying......Page 360
Concrete Expressions of Spirituality and Religion......Page 369
Conclusion......Page 373
Eight. Ethical Considerations and Children's Drawings......Page 375
Confidentiality and Display of Children's Drawings......Page 376
Ownership......Page 385
Safety......Page 389
Storage of Art Expressions......Page 392
Ethical Issues and the Use of Projective Drawing Procedures with Children......Page 393
Legal Implications for Children's Drawings Made during Therapy......Page 397
Conclusion......Page 399
Paper......Page 402
Drawing Tools......Page 403
Resources......Page 405
References......Page 407
Index......Page 431
About Guilford Publications......Page 466
Discover More Guilford Titles......Page 467

✦ Subjects

Psychology;Academic;School;Nonfiction