ABSTRACT
This illustrated chapter by the comic artist and art therapist Malcy Duff discusses the comic panel as an approachable space for expression and exploration in an art therapy context, celebrating the ability of this accessible form to encourage creative therapeutic work. The panel refers to the sequence of boxes or frames that act as a scaffold for the story and hold the characters in time and place within a comic book, allowing for the narrative to unfold from moment to moment. The focus is on the use of the comic panel in art therapy, specifically for children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties. It discusses its potential in school settings as a form of visual communication, which can be accompanied by narrative in the form of captions. The connection between psychoanalytic theories that underpin art therapy and the comic panel's usage in a therapeutic space is explored in relation to the literature in art, art therapy, and psychoanalysis with reference to the frame as a container in D.W. Winnicott, Marion Milner, and Joy Schaverien. The author concludes this chapter by outlining suggested approaches and practical applications for future work in this area.
