This book brings together diverse, international contributions from practitioners, researchers and clients within the field of art therapy to inform best practice when working with people with learning disabilities.
Art Therapy with People with Learning Disabilities brings together diverse, international contributions from practitioners, researchers and clients within the field of art therapy to inform best practice when working with people with learning disabilities. Focusing on four core themes - justice, agency, advocacy and connection - this engaging volume invites readers into the transformative world of art therapy, where creativity serves as a powerful tool for self-expression and positive change.
Emphasising the voices and experiences of individuals with learning disabilities, many chapters are co-authored with clients who bring invaluable lived experience, which offers readers a fresh perspective on art therapy in practice. These insights are woven together in a rich tapestry of case studies, intervention descriptions, and consideration of therapist positionality to illustrate how art therapy can empower people with learning disabilities.
Readers will gain practical insights, evidence-based approaches and a variety of creative techniques that can be applied to both clinical and research settings. This book demonstrates how art therapy facilitates self-expression and fosters personal agency, making it a compelling read for both new and seasoned art therapists alike. It will also resonate with educators and healthcare professionals seeking to enhance their understanding and application of inclusive art therapy practices across a range of health, social care and educational settings.
Section 0: Introduction
0. Power & Hackett - Disrupting Narratives: The Role of Diverse Voices in
CoCreating Change in Art Therapy
Section 01: Justice
1. Royster - Deconstructing Blackness in Disability: Co-creating Freedom
Spaces in Schools & Community
2. Benton, Batt & Sage - Justice: Art therapy, Power, and Change
3. Ashby & Mander - Everyday Trauma
Section 02: Agency
4. Jerwood et al. - Doing Things Differently: Working Together to Talk More
about Death and Dying: The No Barriers Here Approach
5. Rossi - Self-Doubt and the Art of Listening: A Story about Geoffrey
6. King - Finding Connection through Group Art Therapy and Being in a Book
7. Gentle & Calhoun - "Art saved my life; it saved my life": How Art-making
Creates Connection and Builds Resilience
Section 03: Advocacy
8. Harrison & Lizzy - Advocacy and Art Therapy: It helped me piece together
what happened
9. Koizumi - Finding Connection Using AttachmentBased Art Psychotherapy in
Secure Care: My Experience of Working with a Young Man with Limited Verbal
Communication in LongTerm Segregation
10. Rose - The Creative Corridor: A Transitional Space between Arts Therapy
and Educational Creative Practice
Section 04: Connections
11. Ahmed - Creating a Bridge between Clinical and Community Space: A
Collaborative Project to Support Belonging for People with Learning
Disabilities between Art therapy and an Art gallery
12. Ng & Kwan - Frames of Identity: Unveiling Life Stories of People with
Down Syndrome through Art Therapy and Reminiscence
13. Burns, Meakins & Newcombe - How Do We Hear the Voice Behind the Smile?
Group Art Therapy Coming Out of a Coronavirus Pandemic Lockdown
14. Hewitt-Parsons - Revising the Rules of Social Interaction: Stories of
Power, Inclusion, and Why I Dont Have a Mustache
Section 05: Conclusion
15. Hackett & Power - Bridging Practice and Research: Art Therapy with
Children and Adults with Learning Disabilities
Nicki Power is Strategic Lead for Arts Therapies (Learning Disability) at East London NHS Foundation Trust and a Doctoral Researcher at Queen Mary University, London, supported by Barts Charity. She specialises in inclusive arts-based research with people with learning disabilities and using arts for system change in healthcare.
Dr Simon Hackett is a Consultant Art Psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience working with people with learning disabilities. He is a Senior Clinical Lecturer in Applied Mental Health Research at Newcastle University and a UK National Institute for Health and Care Research Advanced Clinical Academic Fellow.
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