Isotherapy - psychotherapeutic work using methods of fine art - one of the main and often used areas of art therapy, both in passive (use of ready-made works of art) and in its active form - creating your own creations. This area of ​​psychotherapeutic practice is widely used in working with both adults and children. For a psychologist, it is especially important that almost all isotherapy methods are suitable even for very “difficult” clients. One might even say that in cases of working with such people, the effect is especially noticeable and the results are most pronounced. This is how the unique property of creative activity manifests itself: it helps to spill out (for example, onto a sheet of paper) everything hitherto hidden, hidden, unconscious... That censorship of consciousness, which is also called “supercontrol”, which often does not let through, suppresses all verbal “inclinations”, and so mental forms, however, turn out to be completely powerless in front of the images created by man. And here the most important thing is not to try to draw beautifully, correctly, “as it should” - let the hand lead itself and the less self-assessment (“what kind of an artist am I”, “I can’t draw at all”), the better. It is necessary to provide the client with a full range visual materials, with the exception of felt-tip pens and wax crayons. The most beneficial material is, of course, paint. Pencils will most likely be chosen by a person who is afraid of making a sloppy drawing, because pencils provide a fairly hard and clear image. If desired, the artist can combine materials: pastels, watercolors, pencils, etc. And one more rule: all drawings are made exclusively by hand, without the use of drawing accessories. Create the necessary environment for the client so that nothing distracts him, so that he feels safe. It is advisable not to interfere in any way with the drawing process: not to comment, not to clarify, not to explain, so as not to disrupt this intimate process of communication between a person and himself. You can quietly observe without drawing attention to yourself. After the drawing is completed, the client can already feel much better, because his work with the problem is in full swing. Another rule: the first interpretation is the interpretation of the author of the drawing, because isotherapy techniques are classified as “insight” techniques. In other words, only the person himself understands what his drawing is about, how it works to solve his problem, what paths and exits it opens for him. Therefore, the psychotherapist’s “understanding” of what the drawing is about may well turn out to be completely unnecessary, especially if the client does not ask for it. Also, if drawing takes place in a group, then the group members speak out about the drawing only with the consent of the person drawing. Completed works are most often saved and therefore, if necessary, you can return to them for additional analysis and comparison with later works. Of course, if this or that technique does not require the destruction of the drawing in the end. It is better to practice isotherapy regularly: for greater effect and to track the changes that occur. This is especially important when working with children, because children practically “speak” with drawings! These are the basic recommendations for working with drawings. In the continuation, you will be able to get acquainted with some selected exercises and isotherapy techniques. Svetlana Leontyeva