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Project Ability Explores Autism

Pum Dunbar Art Show

Pum Dunbar Art Show.

Interview with artist Pum Dunbar, from Project Ability:

“I have Asperger’s and I painted for a number of years in the Project Ability studios, which provided me with materials and a safe space where I could paint. Later in 2000 I began training as an art therapist but I didn’t complete my training, because after two years I discovered that it didn’t matter how proficient I was at understanding the landscape of psychotherapy, I needed to understand myself and learn how to have real relationships with myself, the world and others.”

To learn more about Project Ability in Glasgow, check out their website here

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After Brain Damage, the Creative Juices Flow For Some


From the LA Times:

“Before the stroke in 1997, her mixed-media paintings featured strange and cryptic images: medieval seals, transvestites, bingo cards. Reviewers called her work cerebral and deliberate. Creativity, says the UC Berkeley professor, was an intellectual and often angst-filled struggle.

After the stroke, she could no longer paint on canvases mounted vertically, so she laid them flat, moving around them in a chair with wheels. She learned how to work with her left hand; it had less fine motor control but was more free and natural in its movements. She began to use different, less toxic types of paint, which led to new kinds of visual effects.

And she began to more deeply explore the beauty of blood vessels in the brain after seeing some of her own brain scans.

Critics called the new work intuitive and raw, more vibrant, abstract, expressive.”

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Art Therapy in Botswana

First, great job Priyanka Handa from Raising Education in Africa and Maryland based art therapist, Caroline Chriss for their work bringing art therapy education to Botswana.

But…don’t leave me hanging with this—the last line of the article:

“In terms of education in the arts in Botswana, Caroline Chriss points out that most children in Botswana have a different color concept than the average child in the US.”

Caroline—Please elaborate! Are you doing research in this area? Will you be writing something about this observations?

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RAW Art Works: Jason Cruz

Jason Cruz

Jason Cruz

Congratulations to Boston art therapist Jason Cruz! He was chosen by Bank of America as a Local Hero, a part of their Neighborhood Excellence Initiative.

“The foundation of RAW is art therapy. Our goal is to have a space where kids can really find out who they want to become..

Here you can talk about that stuff…those life choices [they’re] considering…and make art. A lot of our kids, from what they tell me, would stay in gangs or join them, would have been shot or killed…would be pregnant, would be addicted to drugs [if it weren’t for RAW]”…

View a video of Jason discussing his work here.

Hat tip, Cathy Malchiodi for originally posting this on fb.

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Liz Beck Designs


I’m excited to announce the launch of Liz Beck Designs, a personalized web design service for mental health practitioners!

As readers of this blog, you know how large a role technology plays in our lives. It’s not hard to imagine that clients will overlook therapists who don’t have an online presence. Having a website is an effective method of establishing credibility among clients and professionals in your field, and it’s the best way to demonstrate your values and expertise to a wide audience.

Keeping your web presence up-to-date is also a vital part of connecting to new clients. Your website is a reflection of who you are as a therapist. If your website looks like it was built 10 years ago, prospective clients and colleagues will recognize this. They may wonder how current you are in your therapeutic practice, or how convenient it will be to work with you.

I offer a wide range of services, helping to enhance your practice. For example, reduce the number of no-shows with a web scheduler, allowing clients to book and cancel appointments directly on your website. Or, with an integrated PayPal system, allow clients can easily pay for their sessions before sessions begin – or even from your office computer – with the option of using a credit card.

I’m also interested in the ethical considerations and effects of integrating technology into one’s therapeutic practice. I keep myself educated on this issue through continuous study and writing about ethics, technology and the therapeutic world. I am available for consultations, increasing your confidence that your online presence is meeting the same ethical standards you strive to respect with your off-line interactions with clients.

Lastly, to thank you for being a regular reader of my blog, I’m offering a limited-time 10% discount on your Liz Beck Designs order. Just email me your information, what theme/package you’re interested in and include the promo code: BLOG.

I hope to hear from you soon!

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Musical Brain Interface

Via PopSci:

“Paralysis patients could play music with their minds, using a new brain-control interface that senses brain impulses and translates them into musical notes…

Patients with neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s can use music to walk to a rhythm or even to trigger memories or emotions. But stroke patients or those with locked-in syndrome can’t interact with music beyond just listening to it. With this system, patients with physical limitations might be able to use music for therapy, too — truly making music the medicine of the mind.”

This opens the possibility for extension into other forms of creativity, including (how did you guess?) art therapy!

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Helen Landgarten

Remembering Helen Landgarten

“It is with great sadness that we are informing you of the passing of Helen Landgarten, our mentor, our mother, our first SoCalATA/ SCATA President. We mourn her deeply. Helen passed away Wednesday, February 23, 2011, at approximately 3:00 pm…

With heartfelt condolences to Helen’s family and her art therapy family,

Barbara Mescher, Terry Towne, Sophie Bryan, Hope Carter, and Rita Rafidi
Southern California Art Therapy Board”