Nomadic Art Therapy: A Contemporary Epistemology for Reconstructed Practice

Abstract

A Deleuzian epistemology can inform a new framework for contemporary art therapy practice. The conception of the art therapist as a nomadic force within de-territorialized spaces may accurately reflect current employment realities in which art therapists must traverse diverse settings, populations, and client needs within a single practice. The Deleuzian concept of the rhizome, which is an organic structure that grows horizontally through nodal connections, is suggested as a valuable organizing principle for art therapists that resonates with clients and knowledge structures, and positions art making as central to a broadly conceived goal of becoming. Art therapists may discover in the metaphor of a nomad a sense of nonhierarchical, open space with emancipatory potential for both clients and art therapists.

Keywords:

• Art therapy
• nomad
• rhizome
• Deleuze
• becoming

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mitra Reyhani Ghadim

Mitra Reyhani Ghadim, DAT, ATR-BC, LCAT, is a creative arts therapist with the NYS Office of Mental Health at Sagamore Children’s Psychiatric Center, Dix Hills, NY, and adjunct professor, Creative Arts Counseling Program, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY.