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Sometimes Words Just Ain't Enough – Enhancing the Contribution of Children in Therapy through Creative Expression
Author(s) -
Klop Saskia
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.297
H-Index - 19
eISSN - 1467-8438
pISSN - 0814-723X
DOI - 10.1002/anzf.1218
Subject(s) - expression (computer science) , inclusion (mineral) , family therapy , psychotherapist , project commissioning , psychology , publishing , play therapy , ideal (ethics) , developmental psychology , social psychology , political science , computer science , law , programming language
The meaningful inclusion of children in family therapy is an ideal that therapists readily align with and yet struggle to implement effectively. Within a practice that relies heavily on verbal expression, young children provide a unique challenge for therapists, who require developmentally appropriate opportunities for the child to express, document, and share his or her experience in all its richness and colour. In this paper the author utilises art therapy to support greater inclusion of children in family therapy by capitalising on their creative talents and facilitating the child's visual story within the family dialogue. This can assist in the formulation and treatment of systemic issues.