Healing the Inner City Child presents a diverse practical collection of creative arts therapies approaches that meet the ever-increasing mental health needs of inner city children, whose exposure to air and noise pollution, and relatively high instances of violence, crime and family pressures, is increasingly paving the way for depression and behavioural disorders. Drawing on their own professional experience in the disciplined use of music, art, drama and dance therapy, the contributors describe approaches that enable children to overcome the psychological obstacles they experience, and help them reach their full academic and personal potentials. They examine current research and psychoeducational trends and build a compelling case for the use of creative arts therapies with inner city populations. A must-read for creative arts therapists, psychologists, social workers and educators, this book offers practical information for those working to improve the life of children growing up in inner city areas.
Part One: Setting the Scene, Vanessa Camilleri.; 1. The inner city.; 2. At-risk children.; 3. Challenges faced by at-risk children in the inner city.; 4. Societal stressors.; 5. Environmental Stressors.; 6. Domestic Stressors.; 7. Outcomes for at-risk children living in the inner city.; 8. Behavioral outcomes.; 9. Emotional outcomes.; 10. Moderating effects.; 11. Therapy with inner city at-risk children. Part Two: Healing the Inner City Child.; 12. Hear me sing: Group song-writing with inner city, at-risk children, Vanessa Camilleri.; 12. Lifesongs: Music therapy with adolescents in foster care, Diane Austin.; 13. Can you play with me? How music therapy and play help inner city children to heal when dealing with trauma, grief and loss, Juliane Kowski.; 14. Honoring Timothy's spirit: The use of mural making to express, process, and overcome grief and loss, Dan Summer.; 15. The architecture of self-expression: Creating community through art with children on Chicago's south side, Dorothy McGuire.; 16. Space of her own: An art-based mentoring program for girls, Linda Odell.; 17. Art for anger: An eight week anger management art therapy group for adolescent women, Ashley Dorr.; 18. Prevention interventions: Creative Arts Therapies to address violence prevention and school retention, Janet Long and Laura Soble.; 19. The feeling body: The use of drama therapy in incorporating social and emotional awareness and relational skills into early childhood education, Alex Dayton and Tian Dayton.; 20. Make me wanna holler: Dramatic encounters with inner city boys, Craig Haen.; 21. Finding their groove: Expressive dance movement for inner city middle school girls, Madelyn Farr.; 22. The operatic play: A drama and music therapy collaboration, Maria Hodermarska and Suzannah Scott-Moncrieff.; 23. Rediscover, reclaim and rejoice: Using the Sesame approach of drama and movement therapy with the girl child in India, Priyadarshini Senroy and Sonali Senroy. 24. Safe expressions: A community based creative arts therapy intervention for at-risk youth, Mark Bottos, Flossie Ierardi and Mary O'Brien.; 25. A safe distance: An intermodal approach to creating a country retreat for city girls who have been sexually abused, Julie Lacy, Reina Michaelson and Carla Van Laar.; 26. A child's rite: A culturally integrative approach to actualizing the at-risk child, Eric Cyrs. The Contributors. Subject Index. Author Index.
As one of the first educations in the fields of art, music, and dance/movement therapy, I recommend this book to educators, students, and practitioners. The case studies are moving, the implementation of the arts therapies professional and inspiring, and the personal observations insightful. This work is a wonderful testimony to the uniqueness, power, and validity of the creative arts therapies.
