The Creative Arts in Counseling presents an evidence-based exploration of how expressive therapies can be used effectively with clients of all ages and backgrounds. After an introduction to the history and benefits of using the arts in counseling, Dr. Gladding discusses the therapeutic use of music; dance/movement; imagery; visual arts; writing/literature; drama; humor; play; animal-assisted therapy; and horticulture, nature, and wilderness therapies. Text features include a new section on incorporating the creative arts in telebehavioral counseling, two-part chapter overviews, 96 creative reflections for self-discovery, 145 exercises for use in session, and a listing of creative arts and art therapies websites. *Requests for digital versions from ACA can be found on www.wiley.com *To purchase print copies, please visit the ACA website here *Reproduction requests for material from books published by ACA should be directed to permissions@counseling.org

This book is a compilation of the author's essays concerning the integration of the creative arts therapy disciplines (art, dance, drama, music, and poetry) into one larger organization representing their clinical, scholarly, and public policy activities. This is a book about rites of passage, about naivete and maturity, about growing up. It is about poetics and politics, about the tremendous potential to contribute to the public welfare and the deep fears of collaboration and dialogue. Throughout this book, the author takes the position that joining together clinically, academically, and organizationally will be beneficial to the health of the field as well as that of its clients; that the various disciplines are divided only by the nature of the different artistic media, not by fundamental theoretical or political agendas. These various essays offer personal meditation, polemical argument, practical advice, serious theorizing, and some comic relief. Throughout, you will sense the author's struggle to express simultaneously his love for and impatience with this, his dear profession, being too quietly born.

"Weaving together theory, personal experience and a deep knowledge of the power of Art to transform individuals and communities, Mendel has written a comprehensive and accessible book that fills the meaning and how-to gap skirted by much of the current discourse around arts for social engagement and community arts. Read this book! Its pages will inspire and guide artists, adult educators, and activists to create meaningful arts-based opportunities for personal and social change." -Terri Whetstone, Artist and Executive Director, 4Cs Foundation, Nova Scotia "Using the Creative Arts for Transformational Learning is a welcome new resource for all of us working in community-engaged arts. It expresses the difficulties and desires concerning the combination of personal and social/political creative expression with a refreshing mix of subtle thought, personal experience and hands-on advice. Tessa Mendel responds to matters at the heart of our work - boldly asking a question that often gets side-stepped: how exactly does art-making cause change? In responding to this question, she succeeds in the delicate task of offering a coherent analysis and approach that illuminates theory and assists practice without being prescriptive. I know that I will be referring to, citing and recommending this book for years to come, and I'm proud that Jumblies is able to help publish and promote it." -Ruth Howard, Artistic Director, Jumblies Theatre, Toronto "Part memoir, part work-book, part-theory, part exercise-guide, this is a must-read and must-use book for any arts practitioner interested in personal and social change. As a visual arts university instructor, as an individual practicing visual artist, and as a community arts facilitator, I will be guided by the principles and deepening learning I found in this book." -Rose Adams, Artist and Educator, Foundation Faculty, NSCAD University

What do you really want from your career, and how are you going to get it? How do you find the right people and make the right connections along the way? What are the secrets of finding fulfilment in your work? This book is intended to help you to answer these questions - and many more. Written to inspire and motivate you as you progress through your career as creative arts therapist, it shares diverse stories and experiences spanning different career paths and decisions. The book also tackles common early career challenges including designing services, advocacy and collaborative working, exploring how adverse circumstances can be used as opportunities for growth. With creative and reflective exercises throughout to help you to identify your goals and achieve them, this book is an indispensable guide for any creative arts therapist who wants to flourish in their career.

The physical care of people with dementia is of vital importance, but so too is their emotional, social, mental and spiritual wellbeing. The creative arts are gaining increasing recognition not only as a tool for delivering effective person-centred dementia care, but also for attending to soul as well as body. Encouraging those who care for people with dementia to develop their own creative skills, this book provides a creative map of care with easy-to-follow examples and detailed case studies. After explaining why adopting a creative approach is central to effective dementia care, the authors go on to discuss meditation, singing, movement and storytelling, describing the therapeutic benefits of each and giving practical examples of how they can be used with individuals or groups. They also look at the importance of creative supervision in promoting creativity and creating a safe space for honest interpersonal connection: an essential foundation for effective teamwork. This book will be an invaluable resource for anyone involved in the care of a person with dementia, including professional staff in residential and nursing homes, hospitals and day centres, families and other non-professional carers.

Use of the arts in palliative care settings is a powerful and effective way of addressing the practical, psychological, social and spiritual issues faced by service users in end-of-life care. The Creative Arts in Palliative Care uncovers the possibilities for using the creative arts and provides guidance on how to implement arts projects successfully. Part 1 focuses on designing objectives for the creative arts in palliative care - such as self-fulfilment, social participation, diversion from pain and other common symptoms - and managing creative arts services. Part 2 demonstrates the theory and principles in practice, with detailed case studies: each chapter draws on a real-life project, the approaches it employed and the outcomes achieved. This book will be essential reading for healthcare professionals, arts practitioners and all those involved in providing palliative care services.

This book addresses one of the most exciting and innovative developments within higher education: the rise in prominence of the creative arts and the accelerating recognition that creative practice is a form of research. The book considers how creative practice can lead to research insights through what is often known as practice-led research. But unlike other books on practice-led research, it balances this with discussion of how research can impact positively on creative practice through research-led practice. The editors posit an iterative and web-like relationship between practice and research. Essays within the book cover a wide range of disciplines including creative writing, dance, music, theatre, film and new media, and the contributors are from the UK, US, Canada and Australia. The subject is approached from numerous angles: the authors discuss methodologies of practice-led research and research-led practice, their own creative work as a form of research, research training for creative practitioners, and the politics and histories of practice-led research and research-led practice within the university. The book will be invaluable for creative practitioners, researchers, students in the creative arts and university leaders. Key Features*The first book to document, conceptualise and analyse practice-led research in the creative arts and to balance it with research-led practice*Written by highly qualified academics and practitioners across the creative arts and sciences *Brings together empirical, cultural and creative approaches*Presents illuminating case histories of creative work and practice-led research

This book is a theoretical and practical guide to implementing an inquiry-based approach to teaching which centers creative responses to works of art in curriculum. Guided by Maxine Greene’s philosophy of Aesthetic Education, the authors discuss the social justice implications of marginalized students having access to the arts and opportunities to find their voices through creative expression. They aim to demystify the process of inquiry-based learning through the arts for teachers and teacher educators by offering examples of lessons taught in high school classrooms and graduate level teaching methods courses. Examples of student writing and art work show how creative interactions with the arts can help learners of all ages deepen their skills as readers, writers, and thinkers.

The primary goal of this text is to promote educational advancement for health care professionals on the topic of how creative arts therapies can assist patients and clients to achieve specific goals or outcomes. More specifically, the book seeks to create a closer connection between nursing care and the creative arts therapies in order to promote professional collaboration and to expand the concept of holistic care. Most of its twenty chapters explore the theoretical and practical implications of the creative arts therapies as illustrated in single and multiple-case studies. The chapters’ authors are creative arts therapists, nurses, social workers, therapeutic recreation specialists, and occupational therapists. They describe creative therapeutic approaches involving art, music, creative writing, dance/movement, and drama in various health care settings. This unique book is designed for a wide range of health care professionals, including nursing, the creative arts therapies, psychology, social work, medicine, occupational, recreational, and physical therapies, and others who are interested in learning more about creative treatment approaches and their application to varied care settings.