Printmaking as Therapy: Frameworks for Freedom

The process of printmaking can be useful to art therapists in a wide range of settings: for example, the incremental process can be helpful in groupwork, and physically challenged clients can benefit from the physical aspects of printmaking. The author explores these therapeutic advantages of printmaking. She also describes its roots outside art therapy. Relief printing, intaglio, planographic or surface processes, and stencilling are all covered in detail, with many ideas for incorporating them into art therapy sessions. The author gives a comprehensive and clear account of the impact that printmaking can have on clients’ inner lives, using many examples drawn from her own practice. The combination of technical information, clinical applications and practical instructions for using the printmaking processes will make this book a valuable tool for art therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and others working with clients with a range of needs and abilities.