"The ultimate play therapy dollhouse!" - Gary Yorke, Ph.D.
ArtHouse is very different from conventional dollhouses: it offers a far wider range of play
patterns! For example, it can easily represent many different buildings (such as schools,
hospitals, etc.) to facilitate addressing specific fears and emotional stresses. ArtHouse is
also uniquely well suited for art therapy.
Therapist Liesl Silverstone explains: [Art therapy keeps us] "away from cerebral, verbal,
judgmental processes, and in the here-and-now world of imagination, intuition, inspiration.
The paradox applies that by thinking less, it is possible to know more. By making visible our
images, we can tap into material from the subconscious denied to the forefront of our awareness,
and gain valuable insights leading to growth, self-awareness and integration."
What is the role of an art therapist? One role is to ask questions that direct the client's
own discoveries. Looking to the storyboard: what significance can be attached to color,
composition (size, proportion and relative position of component parts), use of material,
process, and "that which is missing"?
The creation and analysis of storyboards in art therapy provides both a tangible reference point
and a stepping-stone to self-awareness. While verbal dialogue is "once-removed", storyboard
artwork offers immediacy. It enables clients to be less self-conscious, more spontaneous, and
subsequently more authentic.
So why do art therapists need ArtHouse? Clients perceive ArtHouse as a toy! It provides a versatile,
fun, non-threatening, easy-to-comprehend, focal point for displaying and discussing storyboard artwork.
The building structure complements the art without competing with it. The session can easily transition
from "art therapy" to "play therapy", because ArtHouse is perfectly adapted to doll-play, finger and
hand puppets, etc. ArtHouse is ideally suited for shared projects. It facilitates group and family
art therapy activities because each project participant can make a very personal contribution and
simultaneously contribute to a collective whole.
Note: the crayon drawing above is from an artist, not an actual patient.
