Art in Action

Published UK, 2011
This book explores the transformative power of the arts therapies in areas stricken by conflict, political unrest, poverty or natural disaster and discusses how and why expressive arts therapy works. It looks at the ways arts therapies can be used to engage community consciousness and improve social conditions whilst taking into account the issues that arise within different contexts and populations. Leading expressive arts therapy practitioners give inspiring accounts of their work, from using poetry as a tool in trauma intervention with Iraqi survivors of war and torture to setting up storytelling workshops to aid the integration of Ethiopian Hewish immigrants to Israel.

CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS
A Social-Critical Reading of Indigenous Women's Art
Found Objects and Portable Studio
The Choreography of Absence
Creating Space for Change
Expressive Arts in Bolivia
Doing Expressive Arts Therapy in Peru

Ellen Levine is a social worker at the Hincks-Dellcrest Centre for Children's Mental Health in Toronto, Canada.
Paperback. 240 pages