Kutenai Art Therapy Institute

KATI 2: Art Therapy: Interpretive Methods

39 Hours, 3 Credits

Description:

A variety of interpretative frameworks will be examined that can be applied to the practice of art therapy. Metaphor theory, structuralism, psychoanalytic theory, hermeneutics and the phenomenological method will be introduced and explored through art making and writing. A postmodern approach to interpretation will be used to examine art, nature, symbols, contemporary culture, fairytales and therapy.

Instructor: Monica Carpendale

Format: Seminar, experiential art making and writing.

Learning Objectives:

To examine key concepts in: phenomenology, hermeneutics and structuralism.
To understand psychoanalytic theory in the general context of interpretive practice as it pertains to the analysis of dreams, clinical narratives and art therapy.
To apply the phenomenological method to art therapy.
To understand the use of metaphor theory within the context of art therapy.
To understand and apply postmodernism in terms of art making, symbolic interpretation and interpretation in fairytales.
To demonstrate an ability to approach symbolic material appropriately in an art therapy context.

Texts:

Van Manen, Max. (1990) Researching Lived Experience.London, Ont.: Althouse Press. University of Western Ontario.

Carpendale, Monica. (2008) Essence and Praxis in the Art Therapy Studio. KATI Press, Nelson, BC.

Tatar, Maria. (1999) The Classic Fairy Tales. New York: W. W. Norton & Co.

Lakoff, George. Johnson, Mark. (1980) Metaphors we live by. Chicago : University of Chicago Press.

Requirements

1) Create a journal on symbolic interpretation. This will be a combination of a personal symbol dictionary, scrapbook of images and exploration of metaphor through phenomenological descriptions. Research and explore everything – personal symbols and also symbols that emerge in your clients’ artwork. Find different cultural sources.

2) Write a paper analyzing a fairytale utilizing the phenomenological method and including a postmodern approach to interpretation. (Basically, this means that you can introduce other appropriate interpretive frameworks.)

3) Assignment on metaphor. See the handout.

4) Attendance and participation in all exercises.

Assignments and Evaluation:

Paper on a fairytale (25%), symbol journal (25%), take home assignment (25%), participation in class (25%).