Arts Therapies and the Mental Health of Children and Young People: Contemporary Research, Theory, and Practice, Volume 2

This second volume expands and develops the discussion on arts therapies begun in volume one on the field’s relationship with children and young people’s mental health, demonstrating further contemporary research within international contexts.

The book responds to a resounding call to address children and young people’s mental health. It explores a unique mix of diverse arts modalities including art, music, dance, expressive arts, and drama, creating opportunities for discourse and discussion of how the different arts therapies cohere and relate to each other. Chapters are truly global in approach, ranging from schools in India to children’s hospices in the United Kingdom, refugee transit camps in Greece, and residential care programmes for LGBTQ+ youth in the United States. Discussions from Greece and Taiwan, and innovative research from Israel, Norway, and Scotland are also featured with reference to diverse social, political, and cultural contexts. Ultimately, chapters prioritise the links between research, theory, and practice, providing accessible and implication-led dialogue on contemporary issues.

This book provides new insights into the expanding field of the arts therapies and will be of great interest to arts therapists as well as academics and students in the fields of arts therapies, social work, psychotherapy, health psychology, and education.

Uwe Herrmann is a Professor on the MA Art Therapy programme, Weissensee University of Art Berlin, and Art Therapist, State Training Centre for the Blind, Hannover, Germany.

Margaret Hills de Zárate is an Art Therapist, Researcher, and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Art Therapy, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK.

Heather M. Hunter was an Occupational Therapist and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK

Salvo Pitruzzella is a Dramatherapist, Author, and retired Professor of Arts Education, Italy, and Honorary Member of EFD (European Federation of Dramatherapy).