Various Aspects of Art Therapy in Mexico/ Algunos Aspectos de la Terapia de Arte en México

Art therapy in Mexico is inherently multilayered, combining contextual meanings of art within Mexican culture with understandings of psychotherapy and with experiences of art therapy as a specific profession that has transplanted itself in Mexican soil. This chapter focuses on art therapy that grew out of the connections between Californian art therapists and psychoanalytically-trained psychologists from Mexico City. It is written in three parts: (1) an overview of the context that provided fertile ground for the development of art therapy in Mexico; (2) the development of art therapy in Mexico; and (3) the specific story of the American/ Mexican collaboration that lead to the Instituto Mexicano de Psicoterapia de Arte. The chapter talks about the facilitators of a clinical art psychotherapy program in Mexico, focusing on the development of summer courses in San Miguel de Allende as the original core, interweaving experiences, intentions, and hopes for this program.