Some things can seem daunting and impossibly big: a blank canvas; starting a new project at school or work; making positive changes in relationships. But isn’t it great when you gradually chip away at a task and see it transform into something that you’re happy with?

For me this month, I’m seeing the result of some hard work staring back at me in black and white… About 18 months ago I decided to write about my experience of working as an art therapist in school settings. I gradually wove my ideas together, finally settled on a title, and it’s now been published as a chapter in ‘Multicultural Family Art Therapy’, a new book, edited by US-based art therapist Christine Kerr.

In her private counselling with children and young people in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, Lizzie also considers whether and when it is helpful to involve family members

My aims were to find out whether other UK school-based art therapists involve family members in their work with children and young people, and get a conversation going about whether it would be helpful to consider working with families more often. The book as a whole is packed with diverse ways of working with families from authors across the globe; it’s an interesting read for anyone curious about how art therapists — in different countries, cultures, contexts — work.

If you don’t want to invest in a hard copy but would like to take a look, it’s currently available at https://books.google.com.

Whether you’re an art therapist, a parent, someone who’s been in or considering therapy, I’m really interested to hear what you think: about what I’ve written specifically, and your own thoughts about the importance and variety of ways of working creatively with families.

In the process of writing, I’ve been reminded that even when I’m not sure I can do something, to just give it a go and find out. What shall I try next? And just as importantly, what about you?