Understanding Children's Drawings

by Malchiodi, Cathy A.; Gil, Eliana

• ISBN13: 9781572303515
• ISBN10: 1572303514
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-07-30
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

This practical resource demonstrates how all clinicians can broaden and enhance their work with children by integrating drawing into therapy. The book enables therapists to address the multidimensional aspects of children's art without resorting to simplistic explanations. Approaching drawing as a springboard for communication and change, Malchiodi offers a wealth of guidelines for understanding the intricate messages embedded in children's drawings and in the art-making process itself. Topics covered include how to assist children in making art, what questions to ask and when, and how to motivate children who are initially resistant to drawing. Assimilating extensive research and clinical experience, the book includes over 100 examples of children's work.

Author Biography

Cathy A. Malchiodi, MA, ATR, LPAT, LPCC, is Director of the Institute for the Arts & Health, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Editor of Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association. She has authored or coauthored three previous books and has published and lectured widely on topics including the use of art therapy with trauma, child physical and sexual abuse, and medical problems.

Table of Contents

ONE. A Historical Perspective on Children's Drawings	1	(18)
Projective Tests: Drawings as Measures of Intelligence and Personality	2	(8)
Multidimensional Approaches to Understanding Children's Drawings	10	(7)
Conclusion	17	(2)
TWO. Children's Drawings in Context	19	(22)
What Motivates Children to Draw?	20	(5)
Drawing as a Process	25	(2)
The Importance of Materials	27	(2)
The Influence of Environment	29	(2)
Children's Drawing and the Therapeutic Relationship	31	(4)
A Phenomenological Approach to Understanding Children's Drawings	35	(4)
Conclusion	39	(2)
THREE. Working with Children and Their Drawings	41	(23)
Drawings as Narratives	43	(2)
Personal Beliefs about Children's Drawings and Their Use in Therapy	45	(1)
The Role of the Therapist in the Drawing Process	46	(2)
Is Talking Necessary?	48	(5)
Making Sense of the Drawing and the Drawing Process	53	(4)
Resistance to Drawing	57	(2)
Responding to Sexual or Violent Content in Children's Drawings	59	(4)
Conclusion	63	(1)
FOUR. Developmental Aspects of Children's Drawings	64	(45)
Developmental Levels in Children's Art	65	(33)
The Importance of Developmental Aspects of Children's Drawings	98	(2)
Drawings as Measures of Creative and Cognitive Capacities	100	(4)
Unusual Drawing Abilities	104	(2)
Conclusion	106	(3)
FIVE. Emotional Content of Children's Drawings	109	(52)
Uses of Drawing in Diagnosis and Treatment	109	(2)
The Complexities of Emotional Content in Children's Drawings	111	(7)
Childhood Depression	118	(2)
Projective Drawing Tests, Art-Based Assessments, and Depression	120	(3)
The Importance of Themes and Narratives in Assessing Depression	123	(9)
Trauma	132	(5)
Child Abuse and Exposure to Family or Societal Violence	137	(5)
Sexual Abuse	142	(7)
Dissociative Disorder	149	(3)
Catastrophic Events	152	(3)
Resilience and Trauma	155	(5)
Conclusion	160	(1)
SIX. Interpersonal Aspects of Children's Drawings	161	(32)
Children's Drawings of Their Families	162	(6)
Drawings of Family Members	168	(5)
House Drawings and Interpersonal Perspectives	173	(8)
Interpersonal Relationship with the Therapist	181	(3)
Gender and Children's Drawings	184	(7)
Conclusion	191	(2)
SEVEN. Somatic and Spiritual Aspects of Children's Drawings	193	(26)
Somatic Conditions Expressed in Children's Drawings	194	(4)
Color and Somatic Conditions	198	(3)
Children's Beliefs about Illness and Their Drawings	201	(4)
Special Considerations in Working with Children Who Have Physical Illnesses or Impairments	205	(2)
Spiritual Aspects of Children's Drawings	207	(2)
Children's Expressions of Terminal Illness, Death, and Dying	209	(6)
Concrete Expressions of Spirituality and Religion	215	(3)
Conclusion	218	(1)
EIGHT. Ethical Considerations and Children's Drawings	219	(16)
Confidentiality and Display of Children's Drawings	220	(5)
Ownership	225	(2)
Safety	227	(2)
Storage of Art Expressions	229	(1)
Ethical Issues and the Use of Projective Drawing Procedures with Children	230	(2)
Legal Implications for Children's Drawings Made during Therapy	232	(2)
Conclusion	234	(1)
APPENDIX. Materials and Resources	235	(3)
Paper	235	(1)
Drawing Tools	236	(1)
Resources	237	(1)
REFERENCES	238	(9)
INDEX	247