April 1, 2025

The American Art Therapy Association represents a diversity of professionals, students, and organizations across the nation. We recognize and celebrate the work of our members at all levels through our Featured Member series.

What are your hopes for the future of the art therapy profession?

I hope to see our vibrant, growing, and diverse community continue to break boundaries, traverse new directions, and communicate the effectiveness of art therapy. I hope to see greater diversity throughout the organization, especially on committees and in leadership positions. I hope to see AATA working together with art therapy organizations in other countries. I hope to see a growing community of art therapy researchers demonstrating art therapy’s effectiveness through evidence-based studies. I hope to see licensure in all states and reciprocity among states. I hope to see openness to communication among the ACATE, ATCB, and AATA’s Education Committee.

What inspires you most about your job right now?

As an art therapy educator, working with my excellent students most excites and inspires me!

What advice would you give someone interested in pursuing a career in art therapy?

A career in art therapy demands that you have a passion for art and for working to better the lives of people in need. It requires that your passion for art includes your own art-making and a deep understanding of its origins. Working with people in need is essential. You will be doing a lot of educating about the profession, beyond the “elevator talk.” And, you should be aware that training and graduation from a the masters level is just the beginning of your professional journey. As in all professions, the field changes and grows. A commitment to life-long learning is essential.

Has working with a particular client group shaped your professional focus or specialty? What have you learned from working with these clients?

Working with children in inpatient, psychiatric settings has been challenging and full of surprises with their hidden talents, creativity, resilience, and resourcefulness, in the face of horrific living situations and damaging life experiences. I’ve learned to wait before coming to conclusions about their capacity to address their problems through the creative process. Process is everything.

“Clients will tell you their story through their artwork. Gather their messages. Make no assumptions.”

— Patricia St John, EdD, ATR-BC, LCAT

How did you get involved with AATA?

Ah, that’s a long story – decades long. I was elected to the Board of Directors some years ago. However, the majority of my activity with AATA has been as a member of and chair of committees: Education and Research, primarily. I was an Associate Editor of the Journal, and currently serve on the Editorial Review Board. I got involved with AATA when I was asked to be the secretary to the Education Training Board, which preceded the EPAB, and our current accreditation group, CAAHEP/ACATE. With Dana Elmendorf, I co-chaired the task force that created education standards for masters degree programs that was submitted to CAAHEP and approved (2016). I am a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award and the AATA Research Award. And, I have presented numerous papers, workshops, and panels at annual conferences. When I first volunteered to work for the organization the structure was “bottom up”, that is, the committees and members were the driving force behind new directions and decisions.

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Mixed Media

About Patricia St. John, EdD, ATR-BC, LCAT

Patricia (Pat) is a Registered, Board-Certified Art Therapist, licensed in New York State. For more than 30 years she directed the MS in Art Therapy program at The College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, NY, where she developed the research component of the program, among many other initiatives. The college awarded her the title Professor Emerita. Soon after the college closed in August 2019, due to financial difficulties, she began teaching undergraduate and graduate art therapy at Springfield College, Springfield, MA. She teaches various courses including research. She mentored over 300 master’s thesis studies. As an active member of the AATA for the past 30 years, she has served on the Education & Training Board and co-chaired the Task Force for preparation of Education Standards & Guidelines for our accreditation group, CAAHEP. She is currently a member and previous chair of the Education Committee and Research Committee, previously Associate Editor of the Journal, and previously elected to the AATA Board of Directors. She is a recipient of the AATA Research Award and the Distinguished Service Award. She has presented many papers, workshops, and panels at AATA Annual Conferences, as well as published papers in the Journal. Her mixed media artwork has been accepted into juried exhibits across the USA and internationally.

Featured Member: Patricia St. John