Susan R. Makin

Patients with eating disorders often respond well to the creative and non-threatening environment of the arts therapies. Susan Makin, who has worked closely with anorexics and bulimics, here explores how art therapies, art therapy in particular, but also creative journalling and poetry-writing, can be integrated into a multi-disciplinary approach to the treatment of eating disorders, in conjunction with medical programmes. Makin discusses the creative work and personal accounts of around thirty patients, examining their use of media, imagery and symbolism. She analyses the patterns which emerge and explores their implications for the patient's treatment, emphasizing the importance of taking a patient-centred approach.

Susan Makin has written a unique resource for art therapists working with patients or clients who find the concept of spontaneous artmaking daunting, and feel more comfortable with a structured framework. Therapeutic Art Directives and Resources: Activities and Initiatives for Individuals and Groups consists of a series of directives or suggestions for group and individual activities, with guidance on the suitability of each directive for clients with specific needs and ideas for further development. Her directives protect clients' creative freedom while providing a safe environment for exploring difficult issues. Commentaries by Cathy Malchiodi alongside the directives highlight particular uses of the directives and possible adaptations. Included at the front of the book are useful sample forms and hand-outs to give clients at the beginning of therapy as well as forms for the therapist's own record-keeping. These forms, like all the directives, have been used many times in clinical practice.