AATA News
Sign up to Volunteer in the Open Art Studio at AATA2025!
Attending this conference is more than just about the learning opportunities, although there are more than 190 sessions to choose from included in your registration. What always makes this conference so special are the people: We come together as a community, connect with others from around the globe—and inspire one another!
At the heart of the conference is the Open Art Studio. It’s literally where people come to process what they’re learning, make new friends, or just create! It’s a special place—and as the Conference Arts Chair, I want to make sure that it’s both welcoming and well-stocked. And that’s why I’m asking for the help of AATA’s student members.
We are looking for energetic individuals who are attending the conference and willing to donate time to set-up, break-down, or help manage the Open Art Studio.
Join us for a Virtual CE Session, Queer Worldmaking in Art Therapy: Affirming Queer/Trans Lives Through Creative Practice.
This June, in honor of Pride Month, AATA is hosting a CE session to help you better support your LGBTQIA+ clients and create a more inclusive and affirming practice. Please join us June 17 at 7pm ET for Queer Worldmaking in Art Therapy: Affirming Queer/Trans Lives Through Creative Practice.
This unique Continuing Education opportunity will explore the intersection of art therapy and queer worldmaking. Presenters Kachina Mooney, MA, LPC, ATR-BC; Sara Blevins-Ranes, ATR, LPC; and Nicholas Denson, MA, LCPC, LCADC, ATR-BC, NCC, will introduce foundational concepts of queer worldmaking and offer practical insights into how art therapists can incorporate these transformative ideas into their clinical practice.
“Healing the Healer” CE Session: Helping Mental Health Professionals Navigate Burnout
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and while AATA works to raise awareness about the life-affirming work art therapists do every day, we want to also discuss the well-being of our own community.
We are proud to offer this upcoming virtual Continuing Education session, Healing the Healer: Artful Strategies for Sustainable Practice, on May 27, 7pm ET. Burnout, compassion fatigue, and chronic stress are pressing issues in our field.
This reflective and creative session is expressly designed for helping mental health professionals avoid, mitigate, and recover from burnout. As a way to recognize the life-affirming work our members do, AATA is offering this virtual session at NO COST to all our members. Attendees may receive 2 CE credits for this session.
Join us for a Virtual CE Session in Honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Honoring Our Roots: Asian Heritage in Art Therapy Practice
Through sharing their personal stories, clinical experiences, and research, the presenters will explore how cultural identity shapes their own work in the field of art therapy, from research on ETC-based interventions with teens to community-based approaches developed in Hong Kong, to culturally informed self-care, and embodied Gestalt art-making rooted in Chinese heritage. The diverse experiences of the presenters will highlight the many ways cultural identity can shape therapeutic practice and emphasize the importance of integrating culturally responsive approaches into art therapy. Presenters will also share practical, applicable strategies that have influenced their clinical work. Attendees will leave with meaningful tools drawn from Asian cultural frameworks to enrich their own art therapy practices, both in the U.S. and in global contexts.
Apply for AATA’s 2025 Honors, Awards, and Scholarships
Each year, AATA honors excellence in the art therapy profession through its annual awards, honors, and scholarships. Apply today!
ACATE Welcomes Two Newly Accredited Art Therapy Programs
The CAAHEP Board approved the accreditation recommendations by the Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education (ACATE) for the two art therapy graduate programs on March 21, 2025.
Join the Veterans SIG for an art-making session and conversation, March 26
Whether you are a military veteran, work with servicemembers, or are interested in learning more about how veterans’ mental health are being affected by drastic cuts to federal agencies, we hope you will participate.
Support the Art Therapy Community – Become an ACATE Council Member
ACATE Council Positions Open July 1. Become a Council Member – Educator, Practitioner, or Public Member.
AATA Urges the VA to Exempt Recreational Therapists and Creative Arts Therapists from Layoffs
AATA joined the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA) and other associations that represent Creative Arts Therapists in sending a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins urging him to place Recreational Therapy and Creative Arts Therapy on the exempt list from potential layoffs within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Welcoming our 2025 AATA Leaders
Congratulations to our 2025 AATA elected leaders.