Ephrat Huss | Ben Gurion University of the Negev (original) (raw)

Books by Ephrat Huss

Using Art for Social Transformation International Perspective for Social Workers, Community Workers and Art Therapists, 2022

Social arts, are manifold, and are initiated by multiple actors, spaces, and direction from many... more Social arts, are manifold, and are initiated by multiple actors, spaces, and direction from many directions and intentions ,but generally aim to generate personal, familial, group, community or general r social transformation s it can help to maintain and enhance personal and community resilience, communication, negotiation,and transitions, as well as help with community building and rehabilitation, civic engagement, social inclusion, and cohesion. It occurs in the contexts of community empowerment, institutions, arts in health, inter-ethnic conflict, and frames of lobbying for social change. Social art can transform and disrupt power relations and hegemonic narratives, destigmatize marginalized groups, and humanize society through creating empathy for the other. Social arts can be used by a wide variety of professionals; social practitioners such as social workers, community workers, social change advocates and art therapists; social and fine artists; or by collaboration between social practitioners and artists,.
This book provides a broad range of all of the above, with multiple international examples of projects (photo-voice, community theatre, crafts groups for empowerment, creative place-making, arts in institutions, and arts-based participatory research) that is initiated by social practitioners and by artists - and in collaboration between the two. The aim of this book is to help to illustrate, explore and demystify this interdisciplinary area of practice. It provides a rich repository of social art initiatives The focus of each chapter is on its methods, and theoretical orientation, so as to help demystify social arts. The book is thus applicable academically and for training social and art practitioners, as well as for social practitioners and artists in the field

Bedouin adolescents: Are their coping resources stable over time?, 2019

The aim in this study was to compare two groups of Bedouin adolescents from unrecognised villages... more The aim in this study was to compare two groups of Bedouin adolescents from unrecognised villages 1 in the Negev, Israel over a period of five years. More specifically, we compared paticipants' sense of coherence (SOC), state anxiety, and state anger over time. Since Bedouin society has been going through tremendous cultural change during these years, we also aimed to explore how SOC relates to state anxiety and state anger in this unique group of adolescents. Adolescents aged 14-18 years participated in a repeated cross sectional study: 440 in the 2010 sample and 359 in the 2015 sample completed measures of SOC, state anxiety and state anger. Results show that participants scored lower on all variables (SOC, state anxiety and anger) in 2015 than in 2010. However, the most important finding was the shift in the relationship between SOC and the stress reactions. In the 2010 sample, contrary to many stable Western societies, the stronger the SOC, the more severe the stress reactions. However, in 2015, the results resembled Western cultures and the stronger the SOC, the fewer symptoms of stress were reported. The results are discussed based on the salutogenic theory and its assumptions about stable societies vs. societies in change, as well as differences between individualistic and collective cultures.

Putting you in the picture: the use of visual imagery in social work supervision, 2018

ABSTRACT The literature has consistently documented the impact of the work on the health and well... more ABSTRACT
The literature has consistently documented the impact of the work on the
health and wellbeing of individual practitioners and the tensions they
experience when mediating organisational demands with the needs of
service users. Simultaneously, the quality and content of social work
supervision has become increasingly vulnerable to both local and global
systemic issues impacting on the profession. It is timely to explore
effective short-term, self-regulatory methods of support for
professionals. As a means of complementing and enriching their
supervision experiences and practice. We describe an arts-based
intervention in which five groups of social work professionals in England
(n = 30) were invited to explore guided imagery as a tool for reflecting
on a challenge or dilemma arising in their everyday practice. Evaluation
data was captured from the participants’ pre-workshop questionnaire,
visual analyses of the images generated and the social worker’s
narratives and post-workshop evaluation. We discuss the potential
application of using visual imagery as a tool to bridge gaps in
supervision practice and as a simple pedagogic tool for promoting
contemplative processes of learning. Visual imagery can be used to
strengthen social worker’s integration of different demands with their
emotional supports and coping strategies.
תקציר
הספרות על עבודה סוציאלית מדברת על החשיבות של הטיפול בדחק של עובדים סוציאליים ועל
הלחץ הרב הכרוך בעבודה הן מהמטופלים והן מהמערכות שהם עובדים בהן
לאור המחסור הגובר במערכות תמיכה כגון שעות הדרכה של עובדים סוציאליים חשוב
לייצר דרכים לטיפול- עצמי שהם מספקים מענה לצורך הזה ושמתמקדים בוודות עצמי ובמרחב
לחקור את התופעה אני מציעים התערבות באמנות למטרה זאת : המאמר מציג את התיאוריה של
שימוש באמנות להדרכה וההתערבות הוערכה לפני ואחרי ההתערבו

This is a special issue of the international association of social workers online paper on arts ... more This is a special issue of the international association of social workers online paper on arts in social work that myself and Eltje Boss edited; It is colorful rich and shows how arts can be used in community social work

Art therapy literature is often based either on illustrative case studies focusing on a specific ... more Art therapy literature is often based either on illustrative
case studies focusing on a specific setting, theory, or
population, or on a more general overview. Although this
practice grounded fundamental approach is invaluable,
little attention has been given to theory and research. This
book provides a theory-based approach to research,
teaching, and practicing art therapy, discussing how the
different respective theoretical orientations of psychology
and social studies are interpreted and implemented by art
therapy.
This book draws on the latest research in the field and will
be a valuable text for art therapy theorists and researchers,
as well as practicing arts therapists.

Image-based research methods, such as arts-based research, can fill the absence of the voice of i... more Image-based research methods, such as arts-based research, can fill the absence of the voice of impoverished, under-privileged populations. In What We See and What We Say, Ephrat Huss argues that images are deep and universally psycho-neurological constructs through which people process their experiences. The theoretical model demonstrated in this book demonstrates that images can be used to enable three different levels of communication: with self, with others similar to oneself, and with others who differ in terms of culture and power. Dr. Huss centers her argument on a case study of impoverished Bedouin women’s groups in Israel who used art as self-expression, and includes many additional examples such as unemployed women and teenage girls in slums, women who have underwent sexual abuse, and the experiences of illegal immigrants. Ultimately, the author points to how the inherent structural characteristics of images help to intensify the voices of marginalized groups in research, therapy, empowerment, and social action.

Papers by Ephrat Huss

research in social work practice

Genograms are widely used in family therapy as a way of visually mapping out systems and recurrin... more Genograms are widely used in family therapy as a way of visually mapping out systems and recurring family patterns. Creative genograms enable families to phenomenologically self-define recurring themes and issues, thus combining both historical, but also, experiential data on the same page. This participatory research gathers the self-defined, phenomenological experience of family social workers who experienced creative genograms firstly on themselves and then administered it with their clients: Examples are analyzed within the text. The findings point to the usefulness of including creative genograms in family social work contexts to intensify information, engagement, and stimulation and to re-perceive calcified problems through new visual terms. Challenges were the unfamiliarity of art language and fear of being "diagnosed" through art. Ways to overcome these challenges and to utilize the benefits were discussed. A theoretical understanding of social versus psychological art is outlined. The specific tool of the creative genogram enabled us not only to provide a clear directive tool for family social workers but also to demonstrate the ways that social art corresponds to and can enhance the aims of family social workers in more detail.

Peer Review Only visioning model in community organizing with marginalized ethnic young people from the Mountain Jews Community in Israel Journal: Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Wo, 2021

horticulture , 2022

Abstract: People have an ancient and strong bond to flowers, which are known to have a positive e... more Abstract: People have an ancient and strong bond to flowers, which are known to have a positive
effect on the mood. During the COVID-19 pandemic, sales of ornamental plants increased, and many
turned to gardening, possibly as a way to cope with ubiquitous increases in negative mood following
lockdowns and social isolation. The nature of the special bond between humans and flowers requires
additional elucidation. To this means, we conducted a comprehensive online mixed methods study,
surveying 253 individuals (ages 18–83) from diverse ethnic backgrounds and continents, regarding
their thoughts and feelings towards photos of flowers, nature scenes and flower drawings. We found
that looking at pictures and drawings of flowers, as well as nature scenes induced positive emotions,
and participants reported a variety of positive responses to the images. More specifically, we found
associations of flowers with femininity, and connotations to particular flowers that were affected by
geographical location. While nature scene photos induced positive reactions, flower photos were
preferred, denying a mere substitution of nature by flowers and vice versa. Drawings of flowers
elicited less positive emotions than photos, as people related more to the art than to the flower itself.
Our study reveals the importance of ornamental flowers and nature in our life and well-being, and as
such their cultivation and promotion are essential

clinical social work journal , 2021

There is a lack of research on children's acculturation processes following international migrati... more There is a lack of research on children's acculturation processes following international migration. As such, this article presents a study conducted among 10 latency-age children (10-11 years old), living in Israel, whose parents were work migrants/refugees/asylum seekers, via their artwork and through the lens of Bronfenbrenner's ecological model. The findings revealed that the migrant children expressed their acculturation and sense of belonging to the host country through three main themes: (1) a longing to have a room of their own; (2) a wish to separate and individuate, as is typical of pre-adolescents and adolescents universally; and (3) the need to rely on their youth movement as an alternative to the family and as a bridge to Israeli society.Findings suggest that art is a useful mode of expression that can help migrant children explore their past, present, and future lives.

Creating an empirically-based model of social arts as a public health resource: Training, typology, and impact, 2022

Introduction: Mounting empirical evidence underscores the health benefits of the arts, as recentl... more Introduction: Mounting empirical evidence underscores the health benefits
of the arts, as recently reported in a scoping review by the World Health
Organization. The creative arts in particular are acknowledged to be a public
health resource that can be beneficial for well-being and health. Within this
broad context, and as a subfield of participatory arts, the term social arts
(SA) specifically refers to an art made by socially engaged professionals (e.g.,
artists, creative arts therapists, social workers, etc.) with non-professionals
who determine together the content and the final art product (in theater,
visual arts, music, literature, etc.) with the aim to produce meaningful social
changes. SA can enhance individual, community, and public health in times of
sociopolitical instability and is an active field in Israel. However, SA is still an
under-investigated field of study worldwide that is hard to characterize, typify,
or evaluate. This paper presents a research protocol designed to examine a
tripartite empirically-based model of SA that will cover a wide range of SA
training programs, implementations, and impacts. The findings will help refine
the definition of SA and inform practitioners, trainers, and researchers, as well
as funding bodies and policymakers, on the content and impact of SA projects
in Israel and beyond

book crafts in art therapy , 2020

Crafts in the Western art world since the Renaissance have been considered a lesser form of art c... more Crafts in the Western art world since the Renaissance have been considered a
lesser form of art compared to so-called fine arts including poetry, architecture,
and sculpture (Parker & Pollock, 2013). Industrialization further reduced the
need for craftspeople. Even with the renewed interest in craft practices in Western
countries, crafts are often associated with working class people, often from
racial and ethnic minorities. Craft is not usually associated with creativity or with
social arts (Berger, 2005; Kaimal et al., 2017; Lippard, 1995; Timm-Bottos, 2011).
This marginalization of craft practices can also be found in art therapy discourses:
Psychodynamic and humanistic art therapy approaches tend to focus on the aim of
authentic individualized self-expression and on process rather than product (Huss,
2015; Kaimal et al., 2017; Rubin, 1999). When the field was first forming, art therapists
were at pains to be differentiated from occupational therapists, who used crafts
to work on motor skills. In more current art therapy theories, crafts have been conceptualized
as a calming, mindful activity that helps to self-regulate emotions and
improve mood, as in the case of drawing mandalas as a form of meditation. Crafts
have also been understood as a way to support problem solving, perseverance, and
other skills often lost in neurological impairment (Collier, 2011; Dalebroux et al.,
2008). Crafts are often not considered “creative” in terms of authentic self-expression,
therapeutic in terms of providing a way to reach the unconscious, or socially communicative
in terms of social art aiming to shift society.

Creating an Embodied Phenomenological Typology for Describing the Qualitative Experience of Traumatic Space from Continued Bombings, 2019

The effect of ongoing bombs and sirens in civilian areas and in day-today life, as is typical in ... more The effect of ongoing bombs and sirens in civilian areas and in day-today life, as is typical in current war situations, transforms the spaces of everyday living into traumatic spaces. Not only do the spaces hold memories of past traumas, but they are also stages for trauma that will occur in the near future. Thus, the most familiar "safe spaces" of life-my room, my house, my street, my suburb-become infused with traumatic memories. While there is literature on defining and measuring traumatic experience, there is less descriptive literature concerning how people experience their embodied and immediate space in such contexts. How do people experience the shift of familiar spaces around them to violent and chaotic spaces from a phenomenological and embodied standpoint? This view takes trauma out of the body as disconnected from context and situates body in environment, figure within background. This research focused on the spatial experiences in vignettes of bombing experiences of 24 mothers diagnosed with PTSD in an ongoing war context. It created a typology of four axes of spatial experiences of this traumatic space including horizontal organization of space, vertical organization of space, close and distant elements, and inside-outside elements. The findings show how spatial narratives of civilian bombing may aid in unraveling fragmented traumatic memories of local spaces where the bombing occurred, and in this way, help to reconstruct its safety. We thus enable a narrative of the spatial elements of the event that utilizes spatial concepts rather than abstract or feeling concepts within the body, decontextualized from the physical surroundings. This research aims to contextualize traumatic experience within familiar and local spaces to investigate how this perspective may support trauma narration as part of the healing process. KEYWORDS Trauma; bombings; spatial perception; embodiment; extended self; ecological approach to trauma Literature survey Experiencing ongoing and repeated bombing in familiar spaces is a specific type of traumatic event that makes the trauma ongoing, so that the era before the trauma and the era after the trauma cannot be differentiated,

Feminist methods of research , 2019

Introduction and literature survey Overall, the social context for impoverished single women and ... more Introduction and literature survey
Overall, the social context for impoverished single women and single mothers
points to intense difficulty in finding work alone, let alone in reaching professional
self-fulfilment. The statistics in the U.S. on single impoverished women’s
employment show that firstly, over eighty percent of those living in poverty
are women and only a third of these find adequately paid and protected jobs
by their late twenties. Additionally, around forty-two percent of at-risk young
women return to welfare support within four years of starting work. (Bynner
& Parsons 2001, 2002; Harris 1996. From this, then the interaction of gender
and poverty makes the odds of young impoverished women finding work at
all and self-fulfilment in work even smaller (Côté 1996; Cozareli & Wilkinson
2001; Zucker & Wiener 1993). Within this context, it is not surprising that the
focus tends to be on helping these young women find work without stopping
to explore how they define self-fulfilment, that is a concept reserved for middle-
class women. Indeed, the gap between this dire reality and the prevalent
media images of success for young women that magically manage to overcome
social disadvantages make the gap between reality and cultural images of selfactualisation
even harder to bridge (Harris 1996; Pavetti & Acs 1997; Vincent
& Osler 2003). This lack of real chance to ‘self-actualise’ through employment
as compared to middle-class women raises the question of if and how impoverished
young women do define success, or future dreams, or self-actualisation
for themselves (Brown 2001; Coiro 2001). Although these young women may
not have access to social symbolic and financial capital that enables self-fulfilment
through employment, they have the right to self-define goals, or visions
of self-fulfilment, that middle-class women take as their natural right: on this
level, then images of self-fulfilment can be a base to ‘dare to dream’, but also
a base for critical consciousness raising as to the reality and meaning

frontears , 2018

The connection between art therapy and specific theories of positive psychology such as Antonovsk... more The connection between art therapy and specific theories of positive psychology such as Antonovsky's theory of salutogenic sense of coherence (SOC) has been less articulated in the literature. This paper draws a methodological connection between art therapy and SOC, that is, meaning, manageability and comprehensibility, as the components of coping. This theoretical and methodological connection is then explored with a group of participants dealing with the health-stress of cancer. Method: We conducted a large-scale, qualitative study that included fifty transcribed hours of thematically analyzed arts processes and one hundred art works, used to explore salutogenic theory within a support group for recovering oncological patients. Results: The results point to the arts as including mechanisms that enhance meaning, manageability, and comprehensibility in an embodied and synergetic way. The art makes it possible both to separate and to 'fill' these three components, while on the other hand, integrating them into a cyclical element. We outline theoretical and methodological implications of understanding art therapy as a methodology to enact and concretize positive psychology theories, as well as presenting a protocol for using arts to enhance salutogenic coping in the context of health-related stress.

K. Bond (ed.), Dance and the Quality of Life, Social Indicators Research Series

Belly dance has been called “a global phenomenon” (World Dance Heritage, 2014, n.p.). This study ... more Belly dance has been called “a global phenomenon” (World Dance Heritage, 2014,
n.p.). This study highlights meanings of belly dancing in a multi-generational, inter-cultural
group of women citizens of the state of Israel. As discussed initially in Huss
and Haimovich (2011), 22 women, ages 25–60, participated in a 6-week series of
once-weekly, 90 min belly dancing sessions run by the Women’s Forum at Ben
Gurion University (BGU). This chapter revisits the original study to extend its “site
specific” personal-to-political analysis in dialogue with the growing body of literature
on belly dance’s global status as a mode of “empowerment” across genders
(Hobin, 2015; Sellers-Young, 2016a, 2016b).
BGU is located in Beer-Sheva, a small university town in the Negev Desert of
southern Israel with a largely Sephardic (Arab) and immigrant population. Like
most Israeli universities, BGU has a mostly female administrative staff and a predominantly
male academic profile (Hazan, 2008). Ashkenazi (European) students
outnumber Sephardic by about three to one (Meir, 2005). Approximately half of the
22 participants in the study were Jews of Ashkenazi origin while the rest were
Sephardic Jews and one Arab Muslim woman. Participants, most of whom were
mothers, presented a range of body sizes and levels of fitness.
In Israel, as elsewhere, belly dance is often practiced as a leisure dance form in
sports clubs and extra-curricular settings, with enough interest to support an annual
competition in Tel Aviv (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueZPtZLwMiI). Aligning
with historical and contemporary literature on the functions and effects of belly
dance for women, participants in the present study described experiences that move
beyond belly dance’s recreational and commercial value, touching on areas of

Using Art for Social Transformation International Perspective for Social Workers, Community Workers and Art Therapists, 2022

Bedouin adolescents: Are their coping resources stable over time?, 2019

Putting you in the picture: the use of visual imagery in social work supervision, 2018

research in social work practice

horticulture , 2022

clinical social work journal , 2021

Creating an empirically-based model of social arts as a public health resource: Training, typology, and impact, 2022

book crafts in art therapy , 2020

Creating an Embodied Phenomenological Typology for Describing the Qualitative Experience of Traumatic Space from Continued Bombings, 2019

Feminist methods of research , 2019

frontears , 2018

K. Bond (ed.), Dance and the Quality of Life, Social Indicators Research Series

This article describes how a fine art teacher, an art therapist, and a social worker analyzed art... more This article describes how a fine art teacher, an art therapist, and a social worker analyzed art works created by students taking an art course in a masters-level social work degree program. The premise of this research is that the fine art teacher, the art therapist , and the social worker hold different perspectives about art in general, and including art produced by students in this course. The three different visualizations expressed by our subjects about the art works are then broken down and compared. Our assumption is that we will find different understandings of the art based on understandings about relationships between technique, composition, content, process, and artist intentions. These visualizations intersect and thus help to redefine the role of the art as well as offering important connections between social practice and the arts.

british journal of social work , 2020

In this article, we aim to describe and demonstrate the use of a methodology for using arts-based... more In this article, we aim to describe and demonstrate the use of a methodology for using arts-based techniques to co-produce knowledge with community members, thus making it accessible at both the theoretical and practice levels for social workers and social work educators. In this methodology, the arts are used not as a diagnostic tool or as fine art, but rather as a trigger for a reflective and socially critical dialogue with community members, with the aim of understanding how they experience their life situation. The proposed methodology includes three central compositional elements of art analyses: the interrelationship between figure and background within a composition , the recourses and obstacles included in the picture background and the use of symbols and metaphors. The present manuscript illustrates this innovative analytical prism, providing examples of images and explanatory narratives of engaged and married young Muslim women in Israel, as self-defined by the participants rather than as an external anthropology. We further outline the implications of this methodology for other cases.

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020

Research on mental health professionals (MHPs) exposed to a shared war reality indicates that the... more Research on mental health professionals (MHPs) exposed to a shared war reality indicates that they are subject to emotional distress, symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, and vicarious trauma. This article focuses on a CB-ART (cognitive behavioral and art-based) intervention implemented during the 2014 Gaza conflict with 51 MHPs who shared war-related experiences with their clients. The intervention included drawing pictures related to three topics: (1) war-related stressors, (2) coping resources, and (3) integration of the stressful image and the resources drawing. The major aims of the study were (1) to examine whether significant changes occurred in MHP distress levels after the intervention; (2) to explore the narratives of the three drawing and their compositional characteristics; and (3) to determine which of selected formats of the integrated drawing and compositional transformations of the stressful image are associated with greater distress reduction. Results indicate that MHP distress levels significantly decreased after the intervention. This stress-reducing effect was also reflected in differences between the compositional elements of the 'stress drawing' and the 'integrated drawing,' which includes elements of resources. Reduced distress accompanied compositional transformations of the stressful image. MHPs can further use the easily implemented intervention described here as a coping tool in other stressful situations.

children and society, 2020

This paper describes a unique model for building an afternoon school for refugee children sustain... more This paper describes a unique model for building an afternoon
school for refugee children sustained by volunteers
and refugee teachers and based on humanistic intercultural
values. The methodology is participatory including the
whole school, from children to teachers to volunteers and
managers. Central themes in the findings include a synergetic
focus on creative placemaking, conflict negotiation
and formal studies. This points to a theoretical connection
between informal and formal studies. The findings teach us
about the needs of refugee children. A methodological contribution
is the use of arts-based methods to capture refugee
children's lived experiences of school.

arts in psychotherapy , 2020

A B S T R A C T This paper describes a single-session Social Art intervention with a group of Eri... more A B S T R A C T
This paper describes a single-session Social Art intervention with a group of Eritrean migrant detainees in Israel
during which they described their journey and created messages to the hegemonic Israeli society. The paper
describes the protocol of the puzzle art intervention. It then presents the central themes within the asylum
seekers’ art that include remembering home, the traumatic journey, arriving in Israel, and pleas to have empathy
and to enable them to be free rather than imprison them. The aim of this case study is theoretical, using the case
study to describe the characteristics and mechanisms of Social Arts (SA) as manifested in this activity. It shows
how a SA orientation integrates the dual areas of psychological and also social agency. This is discussed as a
complex theoretical challenge as well as an advantage. This paper hopes to illuminate the complexity of elements
of SA as a specific and under-researched direction within art therapy. The descriptive arts activity also provides a
protocol for using arts in similar shared reality group and community contexts.

Hope among refugee children attending the International School of Peace on Lesbos, 2020

The study focuses on refugee children who live in a temporary transit camp on the Island of Lesbo... more The study focuses on refugee children who live in a temporary transit camp on the Island of Lesbos in Greece, and attend a unique school, which, in the camp's temporary conditions, endeavours to provide the children with safety, security, and an adaptive learning experience. It examines hope among the refugee children by means of the Children's Hope Scale (Snyder, 1997), which was administered to 132 children aged 6-16 who attend the school. The general hope scores among the refugee children were similar to those found in other children's populations. Hope scores in the Adolescent group (aged 12-16) were lower than in the other groups, and highest in the Intermediate group (aged 9-12). Additionally, differences were found between groups of children from different countries of origin. The findings indicate that the Adolescent children are more aware of the difficulties and dangers entailed in fleeing, and of the price they have paid for leaving their homes and being cut off from their extended family and community. The findings highlight the school's contribution as a space, albeit temporary, where the children can function normatively as students

gender place and culture , 2017

ABSTRACT This article utilizes arts-based methods as a feminist methodology for understanding wom... more ABSTRACT
This article utilizes arts-based methods as a feminist methodology for
understanding women’s experiences in military service, according to theories
of feminist security studies. It explores how non-combatant women in the
army retrospectively narrate stressful situations that happened during their
military service. Using arts-based methods, we examine how they derive
meaning from their experiences in a masculine, military environment,
affected by ongoing conflict. This article analyzes twenty images drawn by
Israeli women who served in the army in the previous 2–4 years. The women
drew a stressful event from their military service, explained the image, and
elaborated on how they coped with the situation. A content analysis of the
pictures and the narratives produced three themes: the responsibility for
others in life threatening situations, the military as a first professional work
experience and the interaction between military and gender hierarchies.
In general, women soldiers experienced the army as complex as they
encountered their first adult work space in which they learned responsibility
and skills of the ‘adults’ world’. However, they were also exposed to a rigid
hierarchy and to stressful security situations typical of army contexts. While
non-combat women soldiers were allegedly protected from the violence
of the army, they are also indirectly exposed to the danger inherent in an
army context. This analysis goes beyond the hero narrative, and moves into
taboo territories of young women’s narratives and experiences in the military.
Dibujando (y utilizando) las experiencias y narrativas militares

visual arts review , 2018

Review of my last book, A theoretical Approach to Art Therapy

Art Therapy Theories: A Critical Introduction is an important addition to the relatively small l... more Art Therapy Theories: A Critical Introduction is an important addition to the relatively small literature that relates to theory in art therapy. I am thrilled to see that the direction of a search for a multiple theoretical perspective in art therapy, founded by Rubin (2001) and continued by Huss (2012, 2015) in earlier books with the same name, is being embraced by the larger art therapy community. Hopefully additional writers will continue this direction that is sorely lacking in the art therapy literature . The book has a chapter for each of the following theories: Cognitive- behavioral, Psychoanalytic, Analytical gestalt, Person centered, Mindfulness, Integrative therapy, Feminist, and social art therapy . Each chapter presents the theory with a few examples from the literature and from an art therapy case study allegedly using this theory. The chapters are well written.
The importance of this book, and of its above-mentioned predecessors, is that it goes beyond prescribing art therapy activities for static art therapy populations, and enables art therapists to work through a theoretical prism as a base for addressing different interventions, skills and populations. A limitation of this book is that it does not break down these theories into a skill-set for practical art therapy practice, as do the other books in this genre. However, this book does provide a thoughtful introduction to each theory and nicely illustrates each on a general level.
Another limitation of this book is that the word critical is used somewhat loosely and as such is misleading as there is no general explanation of this concept, and of the implication of a critical hermeneutic stand, in relation to all of the theories in the book. A critical stand by definition demands placing theories within their historical context, so as to deconstruct their absolute power (Huss, 2015).
Additionally, a critical stand demands a critique of each of the theories in the book. This is also lacking. Lack of historical and critical context means that each of the theories tends to 'float in space' and is not connected on a time-line or through an organizing critique to the other theories. For example, the book starts with cognitive theory, and then moves on to a dynamic theory. Gestalt theory is provided as an additional chapter, but is in fact part of a dynamic orientation (Huss, 2015). There also seems to be a confusion between critical theories, and feminist theories, that are not exactly the same thing.
A more effective way to make these theories more accessible but also to maintain a critical stand may have been to outline the impact of the theory on setting, therapists, role, different types of population, and intervention skills, and to state the limitations of each of these theories as well as the advantages. This has been done in former books of this name, but these books are left out of the literature surveyed. This is a strong limitation, in that much of the existing theoretical literature within art therapy is missing (Allen, 1995; Arrington, 2001; Betinsky, 1995; Buchalter, 2009; Burns, 1997; Cambell, 1999; Case& Daly, 1990; Dalley et al., 1993; Edwards, 2001; Emmerson & Smith, 2002; Furth, 1998; Hass-Cohen, 2003, 2008; Huss, 2012, 2015; Kalmanovitz & Loyd, 2005; Kramer, 2000; Landgarten, 2003; Liebman, 2003; Malchiodi, 2007; Mason, 2002; Moon, 2003, 2008; Pink& Kurty, 2004; Riley & Malchiodi, 1994; Robbins, 1994; Skype& Hayle, 1988; Wadeson,2000), to name just a few. This does not build on former work and so tends to weaken the existing theoretical base of art therapy.
However, together with these limitations, as stated, the most important thing is that this book, with its predecessors, encourages art therapy to seriously engage with theory. It is an important part of the revival of the understanding of the importance of theory within art therapy.

this invited lecture was about the place of arts in social work

This poster describes an arts based project for connecting between arab and jewish youth through... more This poster describes an arts based project for connecting between arab and jewish youth through arts in the southern part of Israel

Following is my short plenary lecture in a panel that i created on social art therapy together w... more Following is my short plenary lecture in a panel that i created on social art therapy together with Eitan Shuker who is a social artist and teacher at bezalel art accademy and with professor Haim Maor, a curator and social artist

This is a description of our arts in social work SIG at the European Conference for Social Work... more This is a description of our arts in social work SIG at the European Conference for Social Work Research
ESWRA

This is the description of our arts based SIG in the European social work resaerch association: ... more This is the description of our arts based SIG in the European social work resaerch association: We have a SIG on arts in social work and welcome new members!
We will be doing a workshop on the first day of the conference of the associaion in Aalborg this spring