Images and Affect in Group Psychotherapy:

The Interaction between Art and Psychodynamics

• Investigate the boundaries of the processes of creativity and therapy in a safe psychological environment.
• Provide an introduction to the methods of art therapy
• Explore the potential of combining imagery with working in small groups
• Experience one’s own growth and development in the therapeutic training of a small group.

Methods of the Workshop

The workshop is an experiential workshop in which participants will work with art therapy methods and reflect on their experiences in a small group. It includes talks on the theme and the principles of art therapy and group therapy.

Workshop Participants

The workshop is for individual and group therapists who want to learn how art therapy can support the work of group psychotherapy. It is also for art therapists who are interested in exploring how group therapy can work in conjuction with art therapy. The workshop may also interest artists and art educators who are curious about the relationship between the creative processes of the artist and the psychodynamic processes involved in psychotherapy.

Staff Members

Jeanne van Gemert, MFA, LMBT, MA, LPC

Jeanne taught art for many years and exhibited widely both nationally and internationally. She became interested in the interface between structure and energy, spirit and matter, and studied holistic health, the human energy field and shamanic practices

Jeanne received a degree in Counseling Psychology and Expressive Arts. She is a staff member at Duke Integrative Medicine. As a Mind/Body therapist Jeanne enjoys combining different aspects of all her training.

Naila began exploring the origin and meaning of symbols during her undergraduate studies in Comparative Religion. She received a BFA in sculpture proceeding to a Masters in Art Therapy and Creative Development from the Pratt Institute. Her interest in symbolic language and meaning moved into the realm of healing and soul journeys contained in images.

Her Pratt Institute training provided roots in psychodynamic process, object relations, and group process giving the clinical experience an anchor to moor in the waters of the unconscious.

Naila works in private practice and is a group therapist for Institute for Sexual Health. She is a member of CGPS, the Art Therapy Association of NC and the Triangle Jungian Society.

Jennifer Knowles McQuistion was born in Nashville, Tennessee, where she continues to live and work. She received a BFA in 2008. As an eighth generation Tennessean, she often finds inspiration from family stories that have been passed down through oral storytelling. Much of her work investigates our interconnectedness with our ancestors and the psychological influence ancestry has on the individual.

Small Group Leaders

H. Cooke Read, LCSW, CGP
Elizabeth Jackson, LCSW
Joan Seiffert, LCSW, CGP
Ron Vereen, MD, CGP

Workshop Coordinator