December 21, 2017
Amber James, MS, is pursuing her ATR and works in the inpatient psychiatric unit at two hospitals in the metro-Detroit area. She spends most of her work hours at Henry Ford Kingswood hospital practicing art therapy on all five units of the 100-bed center, which serves children and adults with acute mental health needs. She also works at St. John’s hospital on the adult inpatient psychiatric unit. James serves as the Legislative Chair for the Michigan Association of Art Therapy (MAAT). Of her AATA membership, she shares that “Being a member of the AATA and my local chapter has given me opportunities to explore the profession in ways other than working with clients. While I enjoy doing art therapy with clients, I still need an outlet for doing other kinds of projects. There are plenty of opportunities for advocacy work, diving into the strategy involved in legislative efforts, writing grants, or taking on whatever projects come up. The AATA has been incredibly supportive in our licensure and advocacy efforts as well.”
She continues, “I’ve worked closely with the AATA to prepare us as we get ready to introduce our licensure bill in the 2018 legislative cycle. It has been exciting to watch our chapter grow and I am really looking forward to the year ahead.” James appreciates that “We have an amazing group of art therapists on our board, who have worked very hard to rebuild our chapter.”
James comes from a small town in southeast Michigan, just south of Detroit. Art therapy was a career change for her. She has a BAS in graphic design and had previously worked as a sign designer, project manager, and marketing associate before earning her MS in art therapy from Emporia State University in 2013. When asked why art therapy is effective, James says, “In graphic design and marketing, art is used to influence consumer behavior. Art therapy takes this idea a step further by using the processes involved in art-making to facilitate change in real time. The art therapist is there to guide the change in a very purposeful way and at a pace that is appropriate.”
“Untitled” by Amber James. 2016. Ink on cardstock.