ABSTRACT
This chapter gives an overview of approaches to theory, research, and evaluation in phototherapy and therapeutic photography. A case study is then provided of the use of theory and research in evaluating the therapeutic effectiveness of Talking Pictures Therapy in the context, as referred to in Chapter 2, of working in schools. The focus is on photographs used in brief psychotherapy and counselling with the purpose of enabling clients to express and explore aspects of their lives they would like to talk about. The author presents examples using Talking Pictures Therapy in brief therapy with children aged 12 to 14 years old in a UK school setting. The use of photographs is discussed further as an evaluative measure in assessing the client’s ‘progress’ through their choice and resulting descriptions of the photographs chosen, as compared with standardised measures of client progress.
