Art in Action: Expressive Arts Therapy and Social Change

The field of expressive arts is closely tied to the work of therapeutic change. As well as being beneficial for the individual or small group, expressive arts therapy has the potential for a much wider therapeutic impact. This book addresses how the principles and practice of the arts therapies can be and have been used successfully to inspire social action and bring about social change across the globe. The contributors explore the transformative power of arts therapies in areas stricken by conflict, political unrest, poverty or natural disaster. They look at how and why expressive arts works, and how it can be used to engage social consciousness and improve social conditions, taking into account the issues that arise within different contexts and with different populations. Leading expressive arts therapy practitioners give inspiring accounts of social projects they have worked on, from using poetry as a means of trauma intervention with Iraqi survivors of war and torture, to setting up storytelling workshops to aid the integration of Ethiopian Jewish immigrants in Israel. Offering visionary perspectives on the role of the arts in inspiring change at the community or social level, this is an important book for all students and practitioners of creative and expressive arts therapies, as well as psychotherapists, counsellors and others working to effect social change.