29 Feb 2020 | Clinical Seminar | Working with Psychosis in Art Psychotherapy

For qualified art psychotherapists currently working with people who are experiencing psychotic illness or are prone to psychotic states of mind, who have attended Katherine Killick’s workshop ‘Working with psychosis in art psychotherapy’/’The alchemy of working with psychosis in art psychotherapy’.

This workshop expands the clinical seminar component of Katherine’s first workshop. All participants will bring one clinical case each to the workshop and discussion opportunities will offer participants the chance to reflect in depth. Through this experience, and the experience of hearing and reflecting on the work of colleagues, participants will develop their theoretical understanding and technical skills in their work with this client group. If you do not have a case to bring but still wish to attend, please do let us know as this may be possible.

The aims of the workshop are for participants

• to develop theoretical understanding of the issues involved in working psychotherapeutically with psychosis
• to develop theoretical understanding of the specific potentials of art psychotherapy as a way of working with this client group
• to develop awareness of psychotic transference/countertransference phenomena
• to develop specialised art-psychotherapeutic skills appropriate to engaging and working with psychotic anxieties and defences
• to experience the support and containment provided by a group of colleagues working with similar issues

Katherine Killick originally trained in art therapy and now works as a Jungian psychoanalyst in private practice. She developed a specialised art-psychotherapeutic approach to psychosis while working at Hill End Hospital, St Albans 1979-94 and has published widely on this subject.  Her publications include ‘Art. Psychotherapy and Psychosis’ (Routledge 1997) co-edited with Joy Schaverien, and ‘Art Therapy for Psychosis: Theory and Practice’ (Routledge 2017) edited for the International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis. She regularly contributes to teaching art therapists and art therapy trainees at Roehampton University, London, and Crawford College of Art and Design in Cork. Her experience of working with psychosis contributes to her teaching on the trainings at the Society of Analytical Psychology, of which she is a Training Analyst and the British Jungian Analytic Association, where she is a Training Analyst and Supervisor, and the West Midlands Institute of Psychotherapy.