[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-592133-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":79,"doc-detail-592133-en":129},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":72,"head_meta":74,"extra_data":76,"updated_unix":78},105,"en","altered-books-in-art-therapy-with-adolescents","Altered Books in Art Therapy with Adolescents","","This article examines how altered books can support art therapy with adolescents by transforming published texts into new visual artworks through painting, drawing, collage, writing, and embellishment. It describes books as portable art canvases that provide stimulation, structure, containment, and opportunities for reflection. The discussion includes characteristics of altered books, their adaptability across experience levels, and case examples from art therapy groups with adolescents.",{"@graph":14,"@context":71},[15,34,54],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/altered-books-in-art-therapy-with-adolescents/592133/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":48,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":49,"interactionStatistic":50},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/altered-books-in-art-therapy-with-adolescents/592133.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Grenda","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":51,"interactionType":52,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":53},"ViewAction",{"@type":55,"mainEntity":56},"FAQPage",[57,63,67],{"name":58,"@type":59,"acceptedAnswer":60},"What is an altered book in the context of art therapy?","Question",{"text":61,"@type":62},"An altered book is a pre-existing published book changed into a new visual artwork through processes such as painting, drawing, collage, writing, and other embellishments.","Answer",{"name":64,"@type":59,"acceptedAnswer":65},"How do altered books provide therapeutic structure for adolescents?",{"text":66,"@type":62},"The bound pages already contain text and possibly images, reducing the difficulty of facing a blank page. Each page offers a built-in framework for responding, exploring, and expressing reactions.",{"name":68,"@type":59,"acceptedAnswer":69},"Why is freedom of expression emphasized in altered book practice?",{"text":70,"@type":62},"Altered book culture supports minimal restrictions, allowing artists to use the original content in any way they choose and to incorporate varied emotions, ideas, and artistic approaches without conventional judgments.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":73,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":75,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":77,"site_id":7},592133,1792073929,{"code":4,"msg":80,"data":81},"success",[82,86,90,94,99,104,108,113,118,121,125],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":83,"show_sort_weight":84,"slug":85},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":87,"show_sort_weight":88,"slug":89},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":91,"show_sort_weight":92,"slug":93},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":95,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":100,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":105,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},7,40,"healthcare",{"id":109,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":114,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":119,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":120},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":122,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":123,"show_sort_weight":122,"slug":124},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":126,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":127,"show_sort_weight":95,"slug":128},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":80,"data":130},{"doc_id":77,"user_id":131,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":132,"doc_module":4,"category_id":105,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":133,"file_id":134,"file_url":135,"file_type":136,"file_size":137,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":95,"language":138,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":139,"faqs":140,"seo_title":141,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":78,"read_time":142},7971474921005,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0","Altered Books in Art Therapy with Adolescents  \nGioia Chilton, Alexandria, VA  \nAbstract  \nThis article examines how altered books can be used in art therapy with adolescents. An altered book is a published book that has been changed into a new work of visual art through various art processes such as painting, drawing, collage, writing, and embellishment. Books are discussed as an art canvas on which to provide stimulation, structure, portability, and increased opportunities for reflection. Altered bookmaking is an option for art therapists who are looking for a means to provide containment while promoting creativity. Case examples of using altered books in art therapy groups with adolescents are featured.  \nIntroduction  \nInterest has developed in recent years in the art form of altered books. An altered book is any pre-existing book that has been changed into a new work of art. Creating altered books can be a powerful technique in art therapy, as this art form is adaptable to many levels of art expertise while providing a unique springboard for artistic selfexpression. Altering books allows a symbolically rich canvas on which to express one’s inner life. The process of making art in an intentional manner through creatively altering a book becomes healing, life affirming, and helpful in producing growth and change.  \nCharacteristics of Altered Books  \nAltered books are growing in popularity as a “new” art form although people have altered and adorned text since books were first made (Harrison, 2003; Taylor, 2004) . Part of the appeal of altered books is the wide variety of artistic approaches that can be used in the alteration process. Artists can draw or paint on the pages or cover of the book, and add or remove text, poetry, words, and images. The book can be adorned with stamps, stickers, fabric, leather, beads, wire, twigs or found objects. Niches can be cut into the book, to create shadow-box effects. Elaborate glazing, image transfers, envelopes, pockets, doors or pop-up features can be created inside the pages of the book. The artist  \nEditor’s note: Gioia Chilton, MA, ATR-BC, is an art therapist with the Adolescent and Family Growth Center in Springfield, VA. She is also going into her second year of teaching at George Washington University. Correspondence concerning this article may be sent to the author at [giofo@aol.com. Ms. Chilton](giofo@aol.com. Ms. Chilton)[ ](giofo@aol.com. Ms. Chilton)would like to express gratitude to all the inspiring altered book artists with whom she has worked and to Rebecca A. Wilkinson, ATR-BC, whose editorial and moral support was invaluable.  \nmay choose any method he or she wishes to use to transform and recycle the book into one-of-a-kind artwork that becomes a personal expression (Figure 1) .  \nFreedom of expression is a theme in the literature about altered books. According to Brazelton, author of Altered Books Workshop (2004), artists “can let the original content of the book play as little or as big a part of [the] new artwork as [they] want, letting words and images show through or covering them up to use the book’s pages simply as a surface,” (p. 13) . An altered books Yahoo Internet group of 6,000 members emphasizes this freedom. The“Frequently Asked Questions” page of the Yahoo group states: “You can do whatever you want. Some people inject humor, politics or philosophy…others create pure works of art” (AB Group moderators, 2007) . Altered book artist Alldredge writes:  \nI find the healing benefits of altered books in the “no rules”aspect of the whole thing. I have used most artistic media, but haven’t felt the freedom that altered books holds. I can… [put] sarcastic, silly, angry, or any number of other emotions or attitudes in altered books that just don’t seem to fit other ‘spaces.’ Also, I know that I can rip out a page that doesn’t work for me and no one will ever miss it (Alldredge, personal communication, August 7, 2004) .  \nThis enthusiasm to create with no rules or","cbCaicbLdLWJIgCJ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaicbLdLWJIgCJ","pdf",219472,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n# Characteristics of Altered Books\n## Freedom of Expression\n## Framework for Freedom\n# Altered Books as Therapeutic Structure","[{\"question\":\"What is an altered book in the context of art therapy?\",\"answer\":\"An altered book is a pre-existing published book changed into a new visual artwork through processes such as painting, drawing, collage, writing, and other embellishments.\"},{\"question\":\"How do altered books provide therapeutic structure for adolescents?\",\"answer\":\"The bound pages already contain text and possibly images, reducing the difficulty of facing a blank page. Each page offers a built-in framework for responding, exploring, and expressing reactions.\"},{\"question\":\"Why is freedom of expression emphasized in altered book practice?\",\"answer\":\"Altered book culture supports minimal restrictions, allowing artists to use the original content in any way they choose and to incorporate varied emotions, ideas, and artistic approaches without conventional judgments.\"}]","Altered Books in Art Therapy with Adolescents | PDF",13]