Arts Therapies with People with Physical Disabilities

Book excerpt: For those with mobility and communication challenges, arts therapies can be especially significant and rewarding as a means of self-expression and engaging with others. This book provides practical guidance on multimodal and archetypal arts therapy approaches adapted specifically for a physical disability context. Practical strategies and interventions are given, alongside case studies from individual and group arts therapy sessions. The author acknowledges the challenges of working with clients with physical disabilities, such as physical assistance in using resources, subtleties in communication of preferences and the need for extra members of staff, and gives clear guidance for accessible and effective sessions. This is essential reading for any arts therapist wanting a tailored approach to meeting the needs of people with physical disabilities, with a focus on person-centred and strengths-based methods. In addition, all frameworks covered are also adaptable for other client groups.