Rachel Brandoff

• PhD
• Associate Professor & Coordinator of Art Therapy Concentration at Thomas Jefferson University

Complicated grief (CG) has come to be a common enough occurrence in mental health treatment to warrant research, literature, and discussion of markers, causes, prevalence, symptoms, measures, and treatment protocols. Art therapy presents one possible mode of treatment for individuals suffering from CG, and yet few art therapists know about CG or ha...

Do you need ideas for low budget, therapeutic art activities? This book provides all you need to create fun and engaging activities for your clients at little to no cost. Presented with simple 'how-to' instructions, each art project is accompanied with guidance on suggested client populations and variations of materials and design to accommodate t...

Distance supervision (or “telesupervision”) is a significant and growing trend in health care professions, but it requires advanced planning, ongoing discussion, and investment in technology by both parties in order to be an effective and ethical alternative to traditional face-to-face supervision. This viewpoint presents the perspectives of two ar...

Art materials created by and used within cultures with implicit racial bias can exemplify and perpetuate that bias. An art material named for skin color perpetuates the normalization and prioritization of one skin color. This viewpoint details how one White art therapist educator dealt with a sand-colored paint labeled flesh, which inspired a class...

Still a melting pot, the United States continues to draw high rates of immigrants from around the world. Significant attention has been given to those entering via the southern border, many of whom are seeking asylum from various countries where their lives and families are at risk. In one social service agency in East Harlem, New York City, a sing...

The corrections system in the United States is largely focused on punishment. Trauma-informed therapeutic services were particularly absent during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. This chapter discusses the importance and benefits of providing incarcerated persons with mental health treatment such as art therapy. The authors highlight one pilot stud...

This chapter explores the phenomenon of complicated grief (now called pervasive grief disorder), including reviewing a pilot study incorporating complicated grief and art-making into art therapy clinical and creative education.

This piece was delivered at a live story-telling-in-healthcare event. It was recorded and can be viewed at the following url: https://annals.org/aim/fullarticle/2749389/annals-story-slam-humanoid

This chapter was published in the book "What Happens When the Analyst Dies", edited by Claudia Heilbrunn, and published by Routledge. https://www.amazon.com/What-Happens-When-Analyst-Psychoanalysis/dp/0367261081/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2JUCEWO039CD&keywords=what+happens+when+the+analyst+dies&qid=1576169944&sprefix=what+happens+when+the+anal%2Caps%2C132&sr...

This pre-print was edited into a book chapter in a text on working with women in counseling.

Art therapists help to access and awaken their clients' personal, latent creativity by promoting art making by the client (Snyder, 1997). Art Therapists aid clients by re-establishing creative thought and flow. They encourage the use of art materials, assist with the engagement in the art-making processes, and facilitate reflection on art made in t...

This thesis was based on a therapeutic drama group formed with 7 developmentally disabled adults who collectively wrote and performed a play based on their life experience of being diagnosed with mental retardation. The author facilitated the drama group, the narrative inquiry, and the performance of this original play of vignettes, which had thera...