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to think about difficulties relating and getting on to- emotional neglect. Unfortunately, due to Davidûs cur-
gether as well as the impact of Davidûs offending be- rent way of relating to adults and authority figures, at
havior. times David would physically threaten them and so
David was well known to the service from an they were concerned that they would not manage to

early age and had attended previously when younger keep him in their home if this continued. They hoped
but was presently referred at age 15 due to repeated art therapy might be something that David could use
offending behavior which had led to exclusion from a to express himself and his concerns safely and for
mainstream school. He was now attending a special him to learn alternative coping strategies. They also
school for children with severe behavioral difficulties– hoped he would be able to explore his childhood
a reform school for pupils who had offended. There trauma and his offending behavior. David came to
were concerns about David using drugs and being at art therapy just as he had been excluded from school

risk of re-offending. for punching a teacher. The concerns addressed were:
conduct disorder, family problems, poor anger-man-
Background
agement, various forms of abuse and interpersonal
Davidûs early experience from infancy was living relationships.
with his mother who was a drug addict and alco-
Sessions
holic. David was the eldest in the family and had
played a pivotal role in raising his younger siblings, David attended individual art therapy weekly for

being the çfatheré of the house. All children had been a year. The general process began with rapport-build-
subjected to extreme neglect, and physical and emo- ing, where the aim is to develop a relationship with
tional abuse. As the eldest child, David had received the client through conversation and art materials, dis-
the brunt of his motherûs anger. cussing rules for the sessions and explaining the rea-
David and his siblings were removed from his sons for being in art therapy and looking at the clientûs
motherûs care by social services and placed in two concept of his life and what he or she wished to
separate foster homes. David lived with his young change. A wide range of art materials are available:

brother. This had been happening since the children drawing pencils, erasers, colored pencils, and
were little, being removed and then returned and so markers; modeling clay or construction material; sand
this had led to formation of unstable attachments and and water trays; and painting materials. Emphasis is
distrust in social services. Davidûs early experience not on the product; one does not have to be good at
was of being in the care of numerous foster place- art. Focus is on the process.
ments. The art room becomes a safe and confidential
Since he was 14 he and his younger brother had space in which nobody is judged, assessed or
a stable placement with a loving set of new foster criticised. Trust is created and, in time, thoughts
parents who were interested in caring for the two and feelings about present and past experiences are

boys for the long term. The only concern was Davidûs shared.
ongoing challenging and confronting aggressive David initially found it childish and appeared to
behaviour and that he would frequently get into trouble have little insight as to what impact his difficult be-
with the police for petty crime (graffiti, theft). havior was having. He would joke and brag about
Davidûs foster parents were very sympathetic and his criminal activity, his connection with the police
understood that his difficulties stemmed from his early and professed to not care if he was thrown out of
difficult relationship with his mother; attachment and school again, or had to find a new foster family.