AATA News
BATA Hill Day: Art Therapy in Ohio Advocacy Day Overview
By Molly Kometiani | January 4, 2018 | Advocacy | Events
The Buckeye Art Therapy Association (BATA) hosted Art Therapy in Ohio Advocacy Day on Wednesday, November 29, 2017, at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. It was a powerful, motivating, and exciting day for Buckeye art therapists and the community!
The AATA Supports the Affirmation and Healthy Development Across the Lifespan of Individuals within LGBTQIA Communities
November 2, 2017
As asserted in our Association Values Statement (2017), the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) embraces and affirms individuals within the LGBTQIA spectrums of sexual orientation and gender nonconforming individuals. The AATA supports therapeutic interventions that foster healthy development across the lifespan of LGBTQIA individuals, and equally admonishes treatment purported to cure or curb natural variations of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.
AATA Provides Public Comment to the CDC urging the documentation of LGBTQ Tragedies in the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS)
October 5, 2017
On September 29, 2017, the AATA responded to a request for public comments (Docket No. CDC-2017-0607) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). In the letter, the AATA emphasizes the critical need for the CDC to implement policies and procedures to require the collection of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data within the NVDRS for all decedents. AATA further points out the disproportionate statistics that affect the LGBTQ community, such as that LGBTQ youth seriously contemplate suicide at almost three times the rate of heterosexual youth and are almost five times as likely to have actually attempted suicide. The letter concludes: “One of the primary goals of the NVDRS is to better understand and ultimately prevent the occurrence of violent deaths, and the best mechanism to achieve this is to require that SOGI data be collected. Therefore, the AATA supports the systematic collection of accurate statistical data which would help art therapists to better serve LGBTQ youth and adults and aid in suicide prevention.”
Delaware Art Therapy Licensure Bill to be Signed into Law
By Clara Keane | September 27, 2017 | Advocacy
AATA representatives and Delaware art therapists will proudly witness the signing of the art therapy licensure bill S.B. 43 into law tomorrow, September 8, 2017. Jennifer August, MCAT, ATR-BC shares details about the advocacy journey she and other art therapists in Delaware underwent with strong support from the AATA to achieve this success for the profession.
AATA Non-Discrimination and Non-Violence Statement
August 31, 2017
AATA is committed to non-discrimination and social justice and repudiates the racism and violent acts that have occurred in our nation. While the AATA values the right of free speech and recognizes the power and importance of peaceful protest, we firmly reject hate speech, condemn incitement, and denounce violence in any form. We encourage our members, as qualified mental health providers, to serve as a resource to their communities, particularly those affected by recent events, civil unrest and a climate of divisiveness.
The AATA Supports Inclusivity and Equal Opportunity for Transgender People
August 3, 2017
At this time, the AATA would like to reiterate its commitment to supporting inclusivity as described in our Values Statement. The American Psychological Association (APA) released a statement last week, citing the substantial negative effects discrimination has on LGBTQIA people and affirming the lack of “scientific evidence that allowing transgender people to serve in the armed forces has had an adverse impact on our military readiness or unit cohesion.” Like our colleagues at the APA and the American Counseling Association (ACA), the AATA stands by our values regarding equal opportunity for all, regardless of gender identity or expression, including those serving in the military.
Oregon Art Therapy Licensure Bill Signed into Law
By Clara Keane | June 1, 2017 | Advocacy
Oregon House Bill 2434, which provides art therapy licensing and title protection for credentialed professionals, was signed into law by Governor Kate Brown on May 25, 2017. The bill passed the Senate on May 15, twenty-three to seven, and the House on May 17, forty-seven to twelve.
Arizona Governor Signs State Hiring and Title Protection Bill for Art Therapists into Law: A Chapter’s Journey
By Clara Keane | May 4, 2017 | Advocacy
On Monday evening, May 1, Arizona Governor Douglas Ducey signed SB 1434, art therapy services; contracting requirements, into law. The bill authorizes the state to contract with art therapists who hold active art therapy certification for services provided through the state mental hospital, the state’s program of services for persons with disabilities, and state supported hospitals.
Maryland Insurance Reimbursement Bill Approved Unanimously
By Clara Keane | April 20, 2017 | Advocacy
On Tuesday April 18, H.B. 298, Health Insurance – Licensed Clinical Professional Art Therapists – Reimbursement, was approved by Governor Larry Hogan! The bill passed unanimously through the House (2/24/17) with a vote of 136 to 0 and the Senate (3/28/17) with a vote of 47 to 0 following favorable reports by the House Health and Government Operations Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.
Panel Presentation of Killing Time: The Chronology of Creativity
By Irene Rosner David | January 27, 2016 | About Art Therapy
When asked to represent our field and organization on this panel during the Outsider Art Fair in New York, I was both honored and challenged. For decades I have welcomed opportunities to enlighten broadly and promote our work, however this was a new audience for me – outsider artists, outsider art gallery owners, arts-in-business people. I entered this project with the assumption that I would primarily explore aspects of Outsider Art and Art Therapy that may be perceived as overlapping, yet are different. This is a relationship I have pondered in the past, particularly having seen the infamous collection of L’Art Brut in Lausanne, Switzerland.