44 • Introduction to Art Therapy
as well as psychologists and social workers interested in the arts. We initially worked side by
side with the same children in a therapeutic day camp, and later jointly in art-drama groups
(B) with children (1), adolescents (2), and adults, as well as Parent Play (Figure 2.12) groups
(3). The Green Creature Within (in Irwin & Rubin, 2008) is a film my drama therapist col-
league and I made about the adolescent group (4).
In such an interdisciplinary mix, it was natural to want to learn from one another. As a
result, I added simple musical instruments (5) and dramatic play equipment like puppets,
dolls, and props to the art materials in my playroom (6). Nevertheless, while the children
were able to use the others spontaneously, I was still best at facilitating expression with art
materials. My colleague, Ellie Irwin, similarly added art materials to her playroom (7), but
she was more skilled at helping children in drama.
There have been a few individual art therapists who have been able to facilitate expres-
sion in more than one modality. At the 1973 conference, for example, art therapist Mildred
Lachman (Chapin) who was also a trained dancer, offered a workshop called The Use of
Movement in Art Therapy (C). At the 1976 conference, Harriet Wadeson described “com-
bining expressive therapies” in an “experience group” for adults in long-term psychiatric
hospitalization, something that was common in the era before effective antipsychotic medi-
cations. Her multimodal group—using relaxation exercises, movement, music, drama, fan-
tasy, and art—seemed to be the only way to reach these severely withdrawn patients.
Sharing and Collaborating
The trend in art therapy training programs has been to focus on expertise in the visual arts,
though some have fostered exposure to other expressive modalities as well. Many service
programs have also expanded to include more than one creative arts therapy. A similar pro-
cess is reflected in the story of one journal, which began in 1973 as Art Psychotherapy. First,
articles in other creative arts therapies were accepted, then there were separate editorial
boards, and in 1980 the name was changed to The Arts in Psychotherapy. The stimulation
of cross-fertilization is a major fringe benefit of communication. This is evident in recent
books from Great Britain, which include chapters by art, music, dance, and drama thera-
pists on practice, training, and research.
Figure 2.12 Participant in Parent Play group.