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The Handbook of Art Therapy is the most recent of a number of books aimed at opening up the theory and practice of art therapy to a wider audience. It is an ambitious book in that it covers a huge territory of discussion, ranging from detailed practical considerations, such as room lay-out, to the more in-depth exploration of theory and ideas. This combination gives a somewhat uneven texture to the book. The reader is expected to be both a novice who might benefit from simple, practical information, and yet also a sophisticated practitioner, familiar with the central tenets of psychoanalytic thinking. Notwithstanding this unusual mix, the book succeeds in giving a flavour of art therapy as practised in Britain today. Indeed, perhaps this mix is a reflection of that practice, addressing both practical and theoretical issues as they arise in clinical work.
A consistent theme throughout the book is the authors' assertion that art therapy practice derives from and is governed by psychoanalytic principles. A significant proportion of the book is devoted to tracing the influence of psychoanalytic thinking on the art therapist's understanding of aesthetics, symbolism and art. Despite the depth and breadth of these discussions, some of the clinical examples suggest that psychoanalytical principles and techniques are not yet fully integrated into art therapy practice. An example may illustrate the point.
A five-year-old boy came to his session and was dismayed to find a small hole in the clay cup that he had made previously. On discovering the damage he cried out: ‘Oh no! It's broken!’ to which the art therapist replied: ‘Don't worry, it doesn't look broken to me. We can mend it’.
A more analytically informed response might have explored and acknowledged the child's evident anxiety and distress in the face of a damaged container, both literally (the clay cup) and in the transference.
In contrast to this, the discussion of art therapy with groups shows far greater sensitivity and