Reflections of Body Image in Art Therapy: Exploring Self Through Metaphor and Multi-Media - Softcover

"When I walk to the mirror, I intend to see myself but I assess my vehicle. I am trying to see myself, but alas it is the vehicle that is the lens that I am looking through... These are the waters that Margaret Hunter has set her course through in this beautiful text. She navigates through mirrors and lenses and culture. [She] combines the empathetic understanding of a practitioner who has metaphorically held the hands of many women with faulty lenses ... with the clinician's understanding of the complexity of navigation." -- from the foreword by Dr Richard Carolan, licensed psychologist, board certified art therapist and department chair of Notre Dame de Namur University's Art Therapy graduate program, San Francisco Bay Area "Margaret Hunter provides a navigational chart with which to address the often stormy waters on the voyage to body satisfaction. The exercises will appeal to therapists, teachers, school counsellors and women; they can be used to structure therapy or educational groups. However they are used, the contents of the book promise an engaging and rewarding journey to self." -- Lisa D. Hinz, PhD, author of Drawing from Within: Using Art to Treat Eating Disorders

Recognizing that problems with body image are often the lead cause of eating disorders, therapists are increasingly looking for innovative and effective ways to address these issues with clients. This book is packed with simple, inexpensive art-based activities that use a range of media to engage with common body image concerns openly and creatively. The activities employ basic principles from Behavioral Therapy including mindfulness and emotion regulation and use common and familiar objects to create a reassuring environment. Discussion and evaluation are encouraged throughout to enhance awareness and appreciation of self. All the exercises, and their objectives, are thoroughly explained with illustrative case studies and sample artworks from the author's extensive therapeutic experience. These adaptable art exercises will be the perfect resource for any professional to promote healthy body image in group or individual work, with girls and women. They can be used as preventative strategies with girls still developing their identities, and will be especially useful at all stages of eating disorder treatment programs.