AATA News
“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.
Celebrate Creative Arts Therapies Week
Creative Arts Therapies Week, the third week of March, is an opportunity to spread awareness about art therapy and other life-enhancing mental health professions!
2025 Supervision Series: Navigating the Developmental Journey of the Art Therapist from Student to Supervisor
Art therapy is a unique profession that requires both a strong professional identity and a nurtured creative process. Art therapists often need additional support to sustain both aspects of their work.
As art therapists face unique developmental challenges throughout their careers, supervision can guide us through different phases of professional development. In this three-part virtual learning series, presenters Annette Vaccaro, EdD, LPAT, LCSW, SCPsyA, LPC, ATR-BC, ACS, ATCS; Cindy Concannon, LPAT, LPC, ATR-BC, NCC; Dan Summer, Ph.D., LAC, ATR-BC, LCAT, LPAT, ATCS; and Traci Bitondo, PhD, LPC, LPAT, ATR-BC, ACS, ATCS will explore the developmental journey of art therapists, from early-career challenges to more advanced stages, and how supervisors can tailor their approach to meet the evolving needs of their supervisees.