ABSTRACT
With a family or a group, similar considerations are valid. Again, it is important to have adequate lighting, working space, and a variety of clearly arranged materials, all of which are consistent from one session to the next. On the other hand, the clinician might also want, for diagnostic or therapeutic reasons, to structure the situation so as to maximize interaction (such as sitting at a round table, or restricting materials so that sharing becomes necessary), without necessarily mandating it (as in a request for a joint project) . In general, in art therapy over time with both families and groups, I have a personal preference for flexibility within the framework. This means providing options in working spaces as well as media and themes, in order to allow individuals to determine their own distance and degree of interaction with other patients as well as with the therapist.
