Projective Drawing as Teleological Compass for Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment

Saturday, May 2, 2026 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
an In-Person Only Workshop led by
Jane Selinske, EdD, LCSW, NCPsyA-LP, MT-BC
To be held at the C.G. Jung Center, 28 East 39th Street, NYC

Contact hours: 4 CE contact hours for Licensed NYS Social Workers, Psychoanalysts and Creative Arts Therapists for this program.

In 1916 C. G. Jung described a discovery he made from spontaneous drawing in The Red Book. His daily drawing corresponded to his psychological situation and psychic transformation. He found that in times of psychic conflict drawing was self-healing and moved him toward wholeness. Jung noted that the object of drawing was to locate the SELF, and he believed the integrative art form was a tool for the individuation process.

Jung’s findings subsequently led to the field of Art Therapy. The use of spontaneous drawing and active imagination have proved to be useful tools for assessment, diagnosis and treatment of clients. Jungian Analysts have incorporated the use of spontaneous drawing with clients since Jung identified its value.

The workshop will be didactic and experiential and will demonstrate for participants how specific drawing examples can be used to assess, diagnosis, and set up future goals. In addition to the examples presented the participants will be given the opportunity to create their own spontaneous drawing samples. The participants will be given the tools to analyze personal and client drawings and will learn the ethical use and storage of client’s drawings. The students will also practice open ended questioning techniques to further explore the content of the drawing.

Please Bring: Pencil, crayons, a note book or journal.

Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
1. Discuss C.G. Jung’s relationship to projective drawing through the creation of The Red Book.
2. Explain the significance of symbols and symbolic language in projective drawings.
3. Discuss ethical considerations such as privacy, confidentiality, displaying drawings and keeping drawings for documentation.
4. Present techniques for assessing spontaneous drawings.
5. Teach how to translate what is seen in the spontaneous drawing to assessment, diagnosis and treatment.

Jane Selinske, EdD, LCSW, NCPsyA-LP, MT-BC, is a licensed Jungian analyst, a practitioner of Mandala Assessment and Board-Certified Music Therapist.  She was trained at the C.G. Jung Institute of New York and has taught psychology and Jungian theory at the Washington Jung Society, PAJA, the Institute of Expressive Analysis, the Creative Therapies Institute connected with New York University, the New York C.G. Jung Institute, Rutgers University and the New York C.G. Jung Foundation, where she is currently President of the Board of Trustees.  Dr. Selinske has a practice where she unites music and imagery, art, spirituality and Jungian theory.