Menu

On Our Mind: Thoughts from Mark & Michelle Dean

Category Archives: Psyche

The 2016 Expressive Therapies Summit

by Michelle Dean 29-11-2016 | 3:56PST | Comments (0)

Share

Mark and Michelle have been teaching in NYC! The 2016 Expressive Therapies Summit was held November 10 – 13 in New York City. This conference addressed the healing arts in art, drama, music, writing, psychodrama, dance, sand and play therapy. This rich format included daylong intensives, master classes, workshops, community events, symposiums, and papers. Mark […]

Printmaking and the Psychological Aspects of the Reflective Process

by Michelle Dean 19-10-2015 | 6:05PDT | Comments (0)

Share

Printmaking can be a source of fascination and challenge that requires an indirect way of working (Hurwitz & Day, 2001). To create a print is to weave the artist’s experience and perception, insight, and differentiation into one (Neumann, 1974). In order to create a print, something must be done to one substance in order for […]

Cultural Considerations of Eating Disorders through Art Therapy

by Michelle Dean 29-06-2015 | 5:03PDT | Comments (0)

Share

This is an excerpt from the chapter: Dean, M. L. (2013). Cultural Considerations of Eating Disorders Through Art Therapy. (pp. 277-288). In Howie, Prasad and Kristel (Eds), Using Art Therapies with Diverse Populations: Crossing Cultures and Abilities, London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.        While biological, genetic, and psychological factors contribute to the etiology of eating disorders, the influence […]

From the Amulet to the Monument: A Shared Material Spirit

by Michelle Dean 07-04-2015 | 11:37PDT | Comments (3)

Share

Three-dimensional artwork spans from amulet to monument and despite its scale, it has a similar essence, qualities of architecture and sculpture that share a material spirit. The amulet is a small portable charm worn as protection against evil or insurance of fertility and the monument, a structure permeated with spirit. It is believed that some […]

IAEDP 5th Annual Imagine Me Art Competition: A judge’s perspective

by Michelle Dean 07-02-2015 | 7:07PST | Comments (3)

Share

I am delighted to be a part of and share my experience about this year’s competition International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP) 5th Annual Imagine Me Beyond What You See Body Image Mannequin Art Competition and Eating Disorders Awareness Campaign. This, I believe, is my fourth year participating in the event as one of three […]

Art Psychotherapy: Arriving or Departing?

by Michelle Dean 19-01-2015 | 8:46PST | Comments (0)

Share

Blog post by Mark Dean, MFA, MA, ATR-BC, LPC I recently received an exit interview from a professional art therapy organization that I had stopped participating in. I had not intended to leave, but simply failed to renew my membership. They wanted to know if they had represented me well. I have hesitated to respond, […]

The Symbolic Expression of Eating Disorders

by Michelle Dean 13-10-2014 | 6:29PDT | Comments (0)

Share

Have you ever noticed how expensive, haughty cuisine is often associated with sex, the divine, and transcendent experience; and conversely cheap, junk food is equated with addiction, excitement, or an out-of-control behavior? For example, in some conversations with friends, clients, and even in online food reviews the following may be heard: “The apple tarty ice cream […]

Using Art in Psychotherapy

by Michelle Dean 22-07-2014 | 7:53PDT | Comments (6)

Share

Art in a psychotherapy practice is so much more than a series of directives and ingredients rattled off like a recipe in a cookbook.  Although recipes may get the cook in the kitchen, what separates the novice from a chef is a discerning appreciation of the individual ingredients and their synergetic effects.  Likewise, the ability to […]

Creating Meaning through Relationships

by Michelle Dean 28-04-2014 | 3:30PDT | Comments (0)

Share

In terms of relationships and the ability to bridge at least two terrains, I personally like Hermes as a possible mascot for art therapy.  All humor aside, Hermes was most commonly described as a Greek Olympian god of boundaries and travelers who cross them.  He was a translator and messenger from the gods (the spiritual […]

Hardening of the Categories Leads to Art Disease

by Michelle Dean 20-03-2014 | 5:33PDT | Comments (2)

Share

The quote “Hardening of the categories leads to art disease” is attributed to Kenneth Snelson, and his defiance to define his work as science or art. He described his work, a cross between aesthetic vision and the scientific inspiration behind the engineering of his sculptures, which defy the neat categorization of art or science. Art […]