1CHAPTER 1
Previews
The Many Faces of Art Therapy
What does art therapy look like? Art therapy is, always has been, and will continue to
be a multifaceted field. There are a multitude of ways in which art can be used for either
understanding (assessment) or for helping (therapy). But art therapy is a paradox—it is both
extremely old and very young. Art for healing is as ancient as the drawings on the walls of
caves (DVD 1.1), yet the profession itself is still a youngster in the family of mental health
disciplines. Art therapy is both primal and sophisticated, since making pictures appeals to
a range of creatures, from apes (Figure 1.1) to artists (DVD 1.2). Because art therapy is also
extremely versatile, it has many different faces. This is dramatically visible throughout the
film, Art Therapy Has Many Faces (Rubin, 2004a).
Preview of Coming Attractions
Some years ago, I saw a little girl and her mother for individual art therapy, in tandem with
a child psychiatrist who also met with each of them weekly. Lori (DVD 1.3) would come
into my art room, while Mrs. Lord (DVD 1.4) saw Dr. Mann for 45 minutes. They would
then switch places as well as therapists. Afterward, Dr. Mann and I would meet and look
at the pictures or sculptures done by Lori and her mom during their art sessions. Because
ideas and feelings would appear in their art long before they were expressed in play or verbal
therapy, Dr. Mann used to say that art therapy gave him a “preview of coming attractions.”
Art therapy is vital for those who cannot or will not talk, like aphasic or electively mute
individuals. At the same time, it is extremely helpful for people of all ages, even those who
are verbally articulate. Art helps people like Lori and her mother to “see” what they are feel -
ing or thinking. Art therapy can aid artists and non-artists alike, whether they are fluent or
blocked. On the DVD (1.5), a woman describes this kind of discovery process.
Short Stories—Vignettes
In order to give the reader a sense of what happens in art therapy, I begin with some brief
vignettes describing in words the essence of why the field exists and continues to grow. Art