Art in Group Work as an Anchor for Integrating the Micro and Macro Levels of Intervention with Incest Survivors

This paper outlines a theoretical model for combining art and group work to integrate the personal and the social levels of incest trauma, as advocated in feminist therapy. Incest survivors must deal with deep, present-day defenses that result from both the trauma and from the lack of social support. The paper demonstrates how art work within a group context can be used to simultaneously confront defenses, change interactive behaviors, and create social change. This integrates the dynamic and diagnostic underpinnings of art and group therapy with a socially contextualized and empowerment perspective.