September 4, 2025 | AATA Professional Affairs Committee
On behalf of AATA’s Professional Affairs Committee, we want to invite you to a special Monthly Learning Series virtual Continuing Education event on Tuesday, September 9, What Makes a Thriving Profession?
As art therapy grows as a field—we have the opportunity to advance as a profession and strengthen our own unique identity as mental health professionals.
Please join us for this a special CE session and learn with us about the key elements of a thriving profession, what AATA is doing to make the art therapy profession stronger, and how you can help.
What Makes a Profession Thrive?
There are several key elements that help a profession thrive—from academic program accreditation, to credentialing and continuing education, to licensure and of course, public awareness.
Some professions laid the groundwork, like medical doctors who established licensure at the state level in the late 1800s and went on to create a very strong professional identity. As we see art therapy programs expand and our professional numbers grow, there are steps we can take to advance our own professional identity.
The session will be led by AATA President-Elect Raquel Farrell-Kirk, MS, ATR-BC, and AATA Board Member Traci Bitondo, PhD, LPC, LPAT, ATR-BC, ATCS, ACS, NCC, DRCC. They will discuss several components of the art therapy profession, including how we are expanding:
- The art therapy education continuum
- Scholarly research and data collection of the profession
- Credentialing and licensure
- Insurance reimbursement
- Public awareness
About the Presenters
AATA President-Elect Raquel Farrell-Kirk, MS, ATR-BC
Raquel Farrell-Kirk is a board-certified art therapist and program evaluator. She has over 20 years of experience providing art therapy in hospitals, schools, museums, and community programs and was the lead therapist for The Power of Art, a Bloomberg Philanthropies-funded initiative that supported the community in the years following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting. Her clinical skills and community work led to her work as a program evaluator. She is passionate about using program evaluation, particularly art-based and qualitative methods of inquiry, to help organizations and initiatives maximize their positive impact on individuals and communities.
AATA Board Member Traci Bitondo, PhD, LPC, ATR-BC, ACS, ATCS
Dr. Traci Bitondo is an Assistant Professor at Caldwell University, where she shares her expertise in Counseling and Art Therapy with future professionals. She holds a Master’s in Counseling, specializing in Art Therapy, and a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision.
She is the immediate past President of the New Jersey Art Therapy Association and has presented nationally and internationally on trauma treatment, art therapy interventions for special populations, and clinical supervision. She operates a Counseling and Art Therapy practice where she treats mental health clients, supervises emerging professionals, and advises on practice development.
Everyone is welcome to attend. The session fee is $82 to attend live or watch-demand via AATA’s Online Learning Academy. Attendees will receive 2 Continuing Education credits.
The AATA Board would like to make this Monthly Learning Session FREE for all AATA Members to stress the importance of the topic to the well-being of the profession.
If you aren’t yet an AATA Member, JOIN US! Please get started here.