ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a broad overview of different ways to view, to understand, and to do art therapy. These multiple perspectives define the discipline as much as do its common underpinnings. Several art therapists have used Jung’s thinking as one component of their conceptual foundation. Experimental psychologists focus on what can be measured; that is, overt behavior. They have greatly enhanced our comprehension of how learning takes place. All therapies provide reinforcement for some behaviors and not for others, but except for behavioral and cognitive-behavioral approaches, it is rarely the primary instrument of change. A cognitive approach that has promise for art therapy is that known as the Solution-Focused approach, which originated in family therapy based on a constructivist approach to therapy. Robert Ault defined two similar orientations as Process-Centered Art Therapy and Product-Centered Art Therapy, where the focus is on achieving specific goals leading to better and more adaptive functioning.
