The Therapeutic Use of Metaphor in Interactive Drawing Therapy.

Abstract

This article is based on a dissertation carried out by Christine as part of her MEd in Counselling at the University of Auckland in 2004. It comprises the results of an investigation into the therapeutic use of client-generated metaphor in Interactive Drawing Therapy (IDT), where it is expressed in visual form and claims to make a contribution to the change-making process. The use of metaphor in IDT is discussed in relation to findings in the literature. A small field study presents the results of a qualitative inquiry into how five trained and experienced IDT therapists used metaphor with selected clients to facilitate therapeutic change. The results suggest that metaphor expressed in visual form and used in the IDT process is a powerful means of accessing aspects of the psyche and facilitating therapeutic change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of New Zealand Journal of Counselling is the property of New Zealand Association of Counsellors and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)