A SHOEBOX

Inside Outside Box: An art-based play therapy technique from Clair Mellenthin’s new workbook My Many Colours of Me

When working with older children and teens, an important tenet is helping the child to establish a sense of self (Who am I? Who do I want to become? What are the innate things about me that are loveable and of value?). This art-based play therapy intervention in Clair Mellenthin’s book, called the Inside/Outside Box, is focused on helping identify how a child, teenager (or adult) views themselves, as well as how they think other people perceive them. In this activity, the making of a collage is used as a powerful, symbolic representation of the self. One would need a shoebox with a lid, glue, scissors and magazine pictures. The child or teenager is asked to first cut out images and pictures from magazines that represent how he/she believes other people view him/her and then to glue this material on the outside of the box to create a collage. This allows exploration of others’ perceptions and expectations. This process is repeated for the inside of the shoebox, but this time the focus is on how the child, teenager or adult sees his/her true self and identity. Here one can explore their own meaning making of each symbol and word. Furthermore, emotions and thoughts that arise can be processed and new understanding of self-worth, integration, self and identity can take place.