The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) is the nation's oldest and largest membership-based child welfare organization committed to engaging people everywhere in promoting the well-being of children, youth, and their families and protecting every child from harm. By publishing a diverse range of views on a wide array of topics, "Children's…

This guidebook is designed to help parents, teachers, day care professionals, nannies, and others in the childcare arena recognize signs of distress in children's drawings. The handbook is intended for those with little or no knowledge of art therapy. Information the book provides is a compilation of indicators that commonly appear in the drawings…

This test, the Silver Drawing Test (SDT), evolved from a belief that the intelligence of children and adults who have poor language skills tends to be underestimated. The aim of the SDT is to provide an instrument for assessing the cognitive skills of individuals who have difficulty understanding others and making themselves understood. There are…

This paper describes two personal development groups for procrastinators, the "Unblocking" group and "The Manana Syndrome." Theoretical background for the groups is presented based on behavioral techniques adapted from Lakein's work on time management and Ellis' work on cognitive therapy. Differences between the two groups are…

The theoretical basis for a Figurative Therapy Reading Clinic in the elementary schools and the tentative structure for implementing that clinic as a pilot project are described in this paper. The contents include: "Figurative Therapy Defined," which refers to the psychoanalytic approach to art therapy; "The Objectives of the Figurative Therapy…

Statue building complements the counselor's usual skills to help children understand and express their emotions and gain a heightened sense of awareness. Statue building promotes empathy for the feelings of others and provides an opportunity for children to increase their ability to express emotions. (Author)

Sets forth a model of group supervision, drawing on a creative therapies approach which provides an effective way of delivering process issues, conceptualization issues, and personalization issues. The model makes particular use of techniques drawn from art therapy and from psychodrama, and should be applicable to therapists of many orientations.…

A study evaluated a person-centered counseling intervention on the self-concept of four children (ages 6-12) with moderate mental retardation. The study used person-centered art therapy as an adjunct to counseling. Three of the children indicated an improved self-concept. However, only one teacher indicated a positive movement within the child.…

Discusses the limits to fitting aesthetic experiences into theories of education or curricula, claiming that this often results in aesthetic alphabetization. Contrasts this to the aesthetic education possibilities in art therapy. Beginning with a statement by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, theorizes about the existence of an aesthetic self-identity. (CH)

Examines the effects of wartime trauma on the artistic expression of 35 Bosnian and Croatian children, ages 4-12. Discusses their cognitive development in terms of the Intuitive-Symbolic and Concrete-Operative levels. Includes four examples of representative paintings. (MJP)

This article introduces an adaptive art technique that has been successfully used with special needs students in integrated settings in Switzerland. The technique, "Paint Talk," encourages spontaneous painting motivated by the student's need to communicate. Guidelines for setting up the "Paint Talk" studio, interpreting…

Describes a pilot group developed to address the traumagenic stigmatization, powerlessness, betrayal, and sexualization that characterize victims of sexual abuse. Treatment modules developed within this framework focused on: group cohesiveness, discussion of specific abuse experiences, coping strategies, sexuality, victimization prevention, and…

Responds to a study that found that group art therapy, bibliotherapy, and whole language instruction provide a good match for interdisciplinary learning for special needs students. Reviews and analyzes published literature in these areas, as well as in interdisciplinary instruction. Looks at program procedures and strengths and weaknesses. (RJM)

Discusses the imagery and process of an art therapy support group for low-income isolated lesbians, through five related "lenses": (1) women's relational dynamics and the centrality of relationships in lesbian lives; (2) trauma; (3) socioeconomic class; (4) lesbian identity, visibility, culture, and gender; and (5) transference. (SNR)

In this era of No Child Left Behind, educators are urged to reach children with special needs. Learning to recognize these children and develop strategies for teaching them is a fundamental hurdle for new educators. Abuse, poverty, or malnutrition, for example, are among the circumstances of some children--circumstances which taken alone, may…