I address two issues that were inspired by my work on the Dutch Committee on Tests and Testing (COTAN). The first issue is the understanding of problems test constructors and researchers using tests have of psychometric knowledge. I argue that this understanding is important for a field, like psychometrics, for which the dissemination of…

This is the appropriate time in the evolution of the profession of art therapy to re-create its image and explore a new model of the profession responsive to the postmodern mental health climate. To that end, the author would like to take the reader on a fantasy trip and hypothesize what it would be like to move the birth of this profession…

Play therapists are increasingly being employed in schools, yet there is confusion among many health, education and social care practitioners about the role of play therapists. This paper explains how play therapists position themselves and what they do through an examination of the therapeutic relationship between the therapist and child. It…

The belief that randomized controlled trials provide a "gold standard" for evaluating therapeutic interventions is challenged. The need for research designs that produce valid and reliable information about interventions, which is clinically/educationally relevant and personally important, is discussed together with possibilities for broadening…

The plays of stage director Robert Wilson are devices presenting alternative modes of perception to theatre audiences accustomed to verbal/aural structures of experience. Uniting his interests in the arts and therapy, his plays create a theatrical event promoting empathy with the perceptions of the mentally or physically handicapped and…

Asserts that therapeutic ritual becomes metaphorical encounter for family in counseling in that it suggests process the family can engage in to help members to indirectly resolve a presenting complaint, a transition in family life, or a transition in counseling. Presents a case that illustrates a collectively designed ritual that metaphorically…

Explores the use of poetry as therapy to cope with the numerous geographical moves made by an individual in her adult life. Identifies six tasks involved in moving from one home and community to another, and cites examples of poetry written during each of those transitions. (PA)

Describes the ways in which the use of poetry in group therapy facilitates therapeutic goals consistent with interpersonal theory. Discusses the relationship between poetic interventions and I. D. Yalom's therapeutic factors, and offers a case example of an in-patient therapy group. (SR)

Discusses what a poet can offer severely disturbed psychiatric patients and how that is distinct from what a clinician offers. (SR)

Describes the therapist as an active participant in the construction of the therapeutic system, explaining how the therapist constructs complex relationships within the evolving therapeutic process. Reevaluates the importance of the individual in the family as an agent of change and as a mediator of triangular relational messages. (Author/NB)

Discusses a poetry therapy group held at a supportive single room occupancy residence (SRO) in East Harlem, New York City. Describes the SRO, the group members, techniques, and work produced by members. Discusses issues of social integration, separation, and childhood as special difficulties of psychiatrically impaired people. Argues that poetry…

Discusses use of alternate sessions, regularly scheduled meetings without the therapist, in analytic group therapy and proposes that opinions should be derived from a theoretical formulation, not in place of one. A decision against the use of alternate sessions is presented by delineating basics of psychoanalytic theory. (Author/BEF)

Basic principles of the nature therapy model are described, integrating the author's personal journey and examples from fieldwork and theory. Four aspects are nature as "sacred space"; nature as therapeutic setting; healing potential of nature's physical and aesthetic elements and connections to "universal truths"; and…

Examines various therapeutic approaches to Vietnam veterans and gives specific consideration to the implications for religious counselors working with this population. (Author)

In this interview, Dr. Irvin Yalom, director of the Adult Psychiatry Clinic at Stanford University School of Medicine, discusses his beginnings as a group psychotherapist, current issues in group work, and the future of group work. (Author/TE)