1st Edition

The Art Therapist's Guide to Social Media Connection, Community, and Creativity

By Gretchen M. Miller Copyright 2018
    250 Pages 42 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    250 Pages 42 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    The Art Therapist’s Guide to Social Media offers the art therapy community a guide that addresses content related to social media use, its growing influence, and the impact social networking has on the profession and work of art therapists. This book presents a framework of relevant theories, best practices, and examples to explore existing and emerging areas of social networking's power for art therapists as practitioners and artists. Divided into three sections that highlight the themes of connection, community, and creativity, chapters explore timely topics such as the professional use of social media, ethical considerations, potential benefits and challenges, and strategies to embrace the possibilities that social media can create for the field worldwide. Art therapists in training, art therapy educators and supervisors, and practicing art therapists will find content in this text helpful for their learning and professional practice. 

    List of Figures  Foreword Lynn Kapitan  Acknowledgments  Introduction  Section I: Connection  1. Introduction to Social Networking and Social Media  2. The Challenges and Benefits of Social Networking  3. Social Media, Art Therapy, and Professionalism  Section II: Community  4. The Value of Digital Community for Art Therapists  5. Strengthening the Art Therapy Profession through Social Media  6. Social Networking and the Global Art Therapy Community  Section III: Creativity  7. Social Media and the Art Therapist's Creative Practice  8. 6 Degrees of Creativity  9. Conclusion: Future Considerations-Social Media and Art Therapists  Glossary  Appendix A. Digital Social Responsibility Resources for Clients  Appendix B. Digital Social Responsibility Resources for Art Therapists  Appendix C. Digital Presence Needs Worksheet for Art Therapists  Appendix D. Facebook Pages: American Art Therapy Association and Chapters  Appendix E. Global Art Therapy Resources: Websites of Professional Membership Associations  Index

    Biography

    Gretchen M. Miller, MA, ATR-BC, ACTP, is a registered board certified art therapist who practices in the Greater Cleveland, Ohio, area. She is also an adjunct professor for Ursuline College’s Counseling and Art Therapy Program. Gretchen previously served as web editor of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) and on the Association’s Social Media Committee. She is also the founder of the online communities Art Therapy Alliance and 6 Degrees of Creativity. Her technology contributions include creating and managing various sites, forums, and blogging related to art therapy, creativity, and community organizing for art therapists.

    "Gretchen Miller’s The Art Therapist’s Guide to Social Media is a much needed text to help art therapists ethically manage their digital footprint within social media environments. This book explores the growing influence of and the impact of social media by exploring the professional use of social media for developing community, connections and creativity in the field of art therapy. Gretchen Miller accomplishes this in a well-researched, thoughtful and in-depth manner that will greatly help art therapists moving into the digital world with their practice and with their clients."

    Dr. Penelope Orr, ATR-BC, ATCS, professor, Edinboro University

    "This book is beyond timely! Indeed, it suits the present moment of a speedy online revolution that often feels like ‘fast forward.‘ For me, despite having communicated on the Internet through words and images, I had not been able to put it all together. Gretchen Miller, already an Internet and social media pioneer for art therapy, has now contributed a thoughtful book for which I, for one, am deeply grateful."

    Judith A. Rubin, PhD, ATR-BC, HLM, author, filmmaker, and president, Expressive Media

    "This comprehensive guide surpasses expectation. Visionary author Miller presents a 360 degree view of art therapy in the digital age, from opportunities to challenges and everything in between. But she has also achieved the virtual impossibility of conveying future applications and potential of social media for art therapists in the rapidly changing digital age. The book is a must have for students and practitioners who seek to bring relevance and vitality to their lives and work."

    Donna Betts, PhD, ATR-BC, president, American Art Therapy Association, associate professor and research director, George Washington University Art Therapy