Family Art Evaluations

This film shows Dr. Judy Rubin, art therapist, facilitating two different family art therapy assessment sessions with parents and school-aged children. The first session is a black and white video with color stills of the images themselves, and the family members make individual scribbles, develop them further and use storytelling when sharing with each other. They then represent the family individually and discuss their respective images. Finally, they engage in a joint drawing, followed by discussion about the process and the product. The second family session is in color and family members use model magic clay and verbal processing, then develop the activity further by bringing their sculptures to a large paper, moving them silently around the surface, followed by drawing on the same paper. Each step of art making is followed by discussion about the images and the process. Dr. Rubin explains the assessments to the families and the use of materials, demonstrating how and why art is being used for evaluation. Family dynamics and relationships are illuminated within the context of treatment planning and goals. Families in both sessions demonstrated their uniqueness through their processes of art making as well as through their descriptions of their lives, thus allowing the viewer to see art therapy family assessments in action. This film shows someone who is familiar with family therapy and art therapy theory how to apply that theory and facilitate using art for assessment with families. The viewer will discover how the art therapist and family simultaneously gain insight through experience in the assessment process.

Total Running Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes, 58 seconds