Jones, Kevin and Skaife, Sally. 2008. 'Psychotherapy and Liberation May ‘68 Anniversary Conference. Under the Cobblestones:The Art Therapy Large Group (ATLG)'. In: PSYCHOTHERAPY AND LIBERATION: MAY ‘68 ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE. Institute of Group Analysis, United Kingdom 2 - 4 May 2008. [Conference or Workshop Item]

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Abstract or Description

We discuss the possibilities for linking the personal and political, the therapeutic and social transformation through describing the Art Therapy Large Group (ATLG), an innovative teaching method for training art therapists and consisting of the 80 plus students and staff of the Masters in Art Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths. The ATLG draws its theoretical base from the large verbal group and from performance art, and engages the politics of art therapy practice to work with personal and collective attitudes to contemporary issues affecting education and therapy in the new world order. We consider three key aspects of May 68 as they relate to the ATLG and to other psychotherapies and psychotherapy trainings: the ‘capitalist’ university as an essential terrain in the struggle for social change; the anti capitalist critique of role of the art and artist in society; the anti imperialist character of the May events. Our experience is that ATLG offers a unique venue in which to explore the interrelationship of the personal and the political, and we will illustrate this by describing the way staff and students worked with the impact that a nationwide AUT strike had on their education and assessment. We conclude that the ATLG prepares the artist/student/therapist/worker to critically engage in a personal and social transformation of the politics of art and psychotherapy provision in the public, private and voluntary sectors.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Keywords:	Art Therapy therapy Education Large Group May 68 Psychotherapy Politics
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Social, Therapeutic & Community Engagement (STaCS)
Dates:	Date Event 2 May 2008 Completed
Event Location:	Institute of Group Analysis, United Kingdom
Date range:	2 - 4 May 2008
Item ID:	4187
Date Deposited:	17 Nov 2010 10:06
Last Modified:	11 Jul 2017 09:49
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/4187

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