Menu

On Our Mind: Thoughts from Mark & Michelle Dean

Category Archives: Symbolic

Jungian Analyst: Mark Dean Graduates

by Michelle Dean 12-07-2017 | 7:50PDT | Comments (0)

Share

Congratulations to the recent graduates, including Mark Dean, from the Inter-regional Society of Jungian Analysts (IRSJA) and the Philadelphia Jung Institute (PAJA). As a new Jungian Psychoanalyst, Mark will be taking up the development of his analytic practice, teaching, and lecturing on analytic psychology, conducting supervision, and writing. Mark’s graduating thesis was titled, Instances and Aspects of Image: A Fairytale Example, […]

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 […]

Art Therapy and Adolescents

by Michelle Dean 15-11-2016 | 6:43PST | Comments (0)

Share

Adolescence can be a challenging time in a child’s development, but when losses, adjustment issues, or trauma affect the child, it makes it all the more difficult. Teenagers often feel self-conscious, under stress, and shut down. Sometimes teenagers in traditional talk therapies fail to feel engaged. Imagery and art tap into our earliest ways of […]

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 […]

Paste Papers: The What For…  

by Michelle Dean 09-10-2014 | 5:48PDT | Comments (2)

Share

Decorated paste papers, as described in Paste papers: The How To…, may used in a multitude of educational and therapeutic applications. Using the slick and flexible pigments can facilitate abstract and playful imagery as well as lessen anxiety and encourage creative flow (Chilton, 2013). The less structured, or sometimes referred to as regressive elements, inherent […]