AATA News
Mental Health Policy Implications during the Coronavirus Pandemic
August 24, 2020
While the results of this survey of art therapists capture a particular moment during the Coronavirus pandemic—when 95% of Americans were under some sort of stay-at-home policy—the findings remain relevant as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise. We hope that these results will help inform how lawmakers address the ongoing mental health ramifications of the pandemic and better support mental health professionals.
Findings from AATA’s Coronavirus Pandemic Impact Survey
August 14, 2020
To better understand how art therapists are responding to the Coronavirus pandemic and coping themselves, the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) conducted an online survey of art therapy professionals, educators, and students in May 2020. The findings offer a look into the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on art therapists, the clients they serve, as well as access to mental health care. (Download the full report.)
Registration is Open for AATA’s Virtual Conference!
August 13, 2020 | Susan Boxer Kappel
We are excited to announce that registration for our virtual conference, Art Therapy Connected: Advancing Mental Health in a Virtual World is now open! The conference is an exceptional education and networking opportunity that provides attendees with flexibility and a library of up to 57 hours of on-demand learning! We invite you to join us!
Standing up for Mental Health during COVID-19
July 30, 2020
From the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, AATA has joined our coalitions in mental health, specialized instructional support personnel (SISPs) in schools, and the arts in congressional COVID-19 relief package negotiations and working with federal agencies.
Bicameral Resolution to Designate July as BIPOC Month
July 30, 2020
The AATA strongly supports the goals of this bicameral resolution to bring awareness to the disparities in the incidence of mental health-related challenges faced by black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and to encourage Congress to act to address the systemic drivers of those disparities through culturally-informed mental health services.
A Warm Welcome to AATA’s New Online Student Corner
July 30, 2020
We are so pleased to be able to welcome our members to AATA’s new Student Corner, an online community forum created especially for student involvement. Students are the future of art therapy, and we look forward in being able to share in your insights and discussions about the student experience in art therapy!
Join the Multicultural Committee’s Digital Healing Quilt Project
July 22, 2020 | Multicultural Committee
The American Art Therapy Association’s Multicultural Committee is launching a digital art project, the Healing Quilt, for which we encourage art therapy professionals, students, local chapters, and graduate and undergraduate programs to contribute a digital copy of an artwork.
Early Bird Registration Rates are Here to Stay!
July 15, 2020 | Susan Boxer Kappel
To add more flexibility during this challenging time and based on feedback we have heard from members, we are continuing the early bird rate, and will offer the lowest registration rates all the way through to the conference dates in Washington, DC. We hope this provides more reassurance and flexibility for your planning.
Statement on ICE’s Mandate that International Students Resume In-Person Classes or Face Deportation during Coronavirus Pandemic
July 10, 2020
For art therapy students, this rule is particularly harsh. Few academic institutions offer art therapy programs, so students would be challenged to find an alternative program if the school they are currently enrolled in remains online in the fall. In addition, the art therapy profession itself is needed now more than ever as the mental health ramifications of the Coronavirus pandemic continue to grow—and our country faces a dire shortage of mental health care providers. Furthermore, the United States has long been a pioneer in the field of art therapy. Our art therapy programs educate and train over two thousand art therapists annually, many of whom go on to become mental health care providers and advocates in other countries.
It’s Black, Indigenous, People of Color Mental Health Month
July2, 2020
July is known as Minority Mental Health Month and, more recently, people have been using the more inclusive term, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Mental Health Month. As Mental Health America puts it, “The continued use of ‘minority or marginalized’ sets up BIPOC communities in terms of their quantity instead of their quality and removes their personhood…The word ‘minority’ also emphasizes the power differential between ‘majority’ and ‘minority’ groups and can make BIPOC feel as though ‘minority’ is synonymous with inferiority.”