This course introduces phototherapy and its various therapeutic possibilities. We will address the relationship between photography and treatment, and examine how phototherapy can be implemented, in relation to the population and goals and stages of the treatment. Among the subjects studied in the course are photography as a means of projection, relationships of transference in the photographic dialogue, photography as a comfort object, family photos in treatment, the intrusiveness of photography, and photography in the termination process. We will study through discussion of theoretical material in phototherapy, and relate it to theories and concepts from the world of psychotherapy; analyze clinical material from the field of photography as a therapeutic tool; and practice through experience in the work modes of this field.

In this hands-on course, we will get to know tools for working with photography (video and stills), free writing and creating, which can be applied in treatment. We will address specifically the therapeutic/professional world of each and every student. The course will include, among other things, topics of self-portrait in video, projection of photographic imagery, photography of identity and culture, and creative writing as a tool for observing processes of phototherapy. Texts and examples from the filed of phototherapy will be brought to sessions for discussion and demonstration.

In this course, we will expand our understanding of therapy with photography: what is the place of the camera? How does the photographic act integrate in verbal therapy and art therapy? The techniques studied in the course are: the photographic carpet; shade, shadow and photograph; “treated” photographs (image processing); dreams in phototherapy; close-up and perspective photos; and photographic mandalas as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool. The course will combine hands-on experience with theoretical and applied material, in the spirit of the Jungian approach. Examples from phototherapy in adults, and in the context of parent-child, will be presented.

This course provides supervision pertaining to questions and topics that arise upon the participants’ first steps in employing phototherapy in their therapeutic work. We will address the ways in which phototherapy can be applied in the field, in compliance with the needs of the patients – pertaining to the clinical material brought to the session. We will deal with topics such as therapy setting, ethics, therapeutic experience, and transference, and examine how these are manifest and applied in phototherapy. Through photographic discussion, guidance, and feedback, we will aim to deepen our development and understanding in this field.

The group is a kaleidoscope containing a mixture of materials, emotions and behaviors. The instructor observes the different colors and shapes of the kaleidoscope of the group in search for gripping points, which could give meaning to the picture that emerges before his or her eyes. It is not one but a spectrum of pictures, one deriving from another, creating some form of a rational pattern (Shapira 1996).
Getting acquainted with the stages of the development of the group helps the instructor understand the changing needs of the participants and of the group entity, and adjust the instruction accordingly. Integrating tools from the domain of phototherapy and adapting them to suit the various stages of the lifespan of the group, enable a creative space for self-exploration and personal growth within the group picture. During the course we will work through and experience the stages of group development (MacKenzie & Livesley, 1983), studying corresponding theoretical terms, techniques and practical tools in phototherapy. We will present examples from groups of special populations and address their unique dilemmas and questions.

In this workshop, we focus on dyadic treatment (parent-child treatment). We will address phototherapy as a means for strengthening the parent-child connection. Employing the medium of photography – which facilitates different angles of observation and new interpretations – contributes to further understanding the relationship, through a mutual experience. Phototherapy will constitute a hands-on measure for broadening the ways in which the participants think about themselves. We will hold discussions and dive into case studies and field experiences.

In this workshop, participants will embark on a photographic voyage, seeking to explore a personal field or subject that interests them. The subject can range from personal to professional, and contain processes and techniques experienced throughout their phototherapy studies, or touch upon terms from the worlds of therapy or photography, which are relevant to the participants and their history. Like in therapy, we will stress ongoing, processual work, between purification and abstraction, selection and integration.
The path to the final product will be, as in phototherapy, contingent on the participants belief that the creative process is able to echo the emotional process, and on conscious observation of the mental recognitions that arise from the photos. In the space in between the psyche and the creation, we will attempt to follow, consciously, the sense of vision, examine visual patterns and understand the emotional significances they have for the participants. During this personal investigation, participants will give feedback to one another, and together we will try to discover a possible collective symbolic language of the group, beyond the personal photographic language. In the concluding session of the course, the personal products will be presented in a variety of ways, according to the choice of each student.

In this hands-on workshop, participants will embark on a photographed hero’s journey, through various work techniques in video-therapy. A hero’s journey is a common template of stories involving a hero or heroine, who embarks on an adventure after a decisive crisis, deals with setbacks and obstacles, achieves victory and returns home. It is first and foremost an inner journey. The collaboration between a hero’s journey and video-therapy gives the inner journey a visual presence and voice. Each student becomes the hero or heroine of his or her own story, and experiments with shooting this personal story, through video- and docu-therapy.
Through the hero’s journey structure, photography allows for us to get to know better ourselves, our inclinations, hardships, vulnerabilities and virtues. Using video-therapy in documenting the journey helps us observe ourselves from different angles and see our journey from a bird’s-eye view, not only from the heart of the jungle.
“The true hero lies within us, and every person accommodates also the anti-hero, suffering and tragedy, and is a hero in the journey of his life”. In the workshop we will address techniques of working with video-therapy, and their place and meaning in the therapeutic process. We will discuss examples as well as theoretical material.