AATA Blog
Share Your Memories, Moments, and Milestones of Art Therapy on Social Media
January 17, 2019
We’re kicking off our 50th anniversary year with a fun, collaborative social media project celebrating the art therapy profession! Already, people have shared dozens of remarkable personal stories about their journey to art therapy, as well as heartfelt memories and experiences being an art therapist.
AATA Conference Attendees Send Stars of HOPE Following the Tallahassee Yoga Studio Shooting
January 3, 2019 | By Stephanie Wray
Every year at the annual conference of the American Art Therapy Association, attendees are invited to create artwork in the open studio — a wonderful way to step back and process during the intensive days of learning. At the 2018 conference held in Miami, attendees were invited to join Stars of HOPE, USA in painting 12-inch wooden stars with a message of hope.
U.S. Embassy in Japan Awards Grant to Pilot Art Therapy Program
November 15, 2018 | International
In Tokyo on Tuesday, November 13, Second Lady Karen Pence announced a $55,000 grant from the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to support a pilot art therapy program at the University of Tsukuba. Congratulations to International AATA Member Cheryl Okubo, ATR-BC, recipient of this prestigious grant!
Student Art Gallery in Miami International Airport Spreads Awareness for the Role of Art Therapy in Public Schools
November 8, 2018 | Children | Education
Art therapists who traveled from around the world to Miami for the American Art Therapy Association’s 49th Annual Conference received a warm welcome, beginning with their arrival at the Miami International Airport (MIA). In addition to the billboard and signs in the airport welcoming attendees, MIA hosted a gallery of student artwork from the Miami-Dade County Public School’s Clinical Art Therapy Department.
Sunrise Reviews Commence in Connecticut and Nebraska
October 25, 2018 | Advocacy
The AATA is pleased to share that state agencies in Connecticut and Nebraska have approved applications to conduct studies on into the need to regulate art therapy. These comprehensive studies to determine the need and the appropriate level of regulation of a profession, commonly referred to as “sunrise reviews,” are prerequisites for the legislature to consider licensing a new profession and are now required at varying degrees in 14 states .
Vote with Art Therapy in Mind: The AATA Guide for Election Day 2018
October 25, 2018 | Advocacy
As mental health professionals, art therapists are connected with the needs of the communities they serve. You may already be a champion for your clients in your community to ensure they get the care they need. Similarly, Election Day is an opportunity to be a champion for your clients and for the values that are core to our profession.
Ashes2Art: First Responders 9/11 Art Show
By Clara Keane | September 20, 2018 | Events
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department’s (FCFRD) Behavioral Health Section in collaboration with local artist Kathy Sullivan offer the Ashes2Art Program for first responders. According to the FCFRD, the weekly art class “allows participants to employ the unique creative abilities of emergency personnel directed in new ways.” This month, to honor the victims and survivors of 9/11, participants of Ashes2Art displayed their work at the Reston Art Gallery & Studios.
Virginia Board of Health Professions Votes to Recommend Licensure for Art Therapists to the Governor and Legislature
By Clara Keane | August 30, 2018 | Advocacy
On August 23, 2018 the Virginia Board of Health Professions (BHP) voted to recommend licensure for art therapists in the state of Virginia. Following years of advocacy work and a full year in the formal sunrise review process, a group of art therapists gathered to witness history unfold in the field of art therapy. After the BHP’s Regulatory Research Committee made their final recommendations and “concluded that all criteria [for state regulation] were met,” the Committee voted unanimously to “adopt a separate license for Art Therapists to practice in Virginia.”
Chapter Projects Funded by the 2017 Government Affairs Committee Grants
By Clara Keane | July 5, 2018 | Advocacy
Each year, the Government Affairs Committee (GAC) awards grants to chapters to help support their legislative goals. In 2017, grants were awarded to three chapters, the Southern California Art Therapy Association (SoCalATA), the Arizona Art Therapy Association (AzATA), and the Michigan Association of Art Therapy (MAAT).
Art Therapists Make the Case for Regulation in Virginia
By Clara Keane | June 28, 2018 | Advocacy | Events
On the morning of June 26, 2018, fifteen art therapists gathered for an open comment hearing during a meeting of the Virginia Board of Health Professions (BHP) to speak to the need to regulate art therapy to protect the public. The PHP’s initial draft report was positive, acknowledging the potential harm to the public if art therapy remains unregulated.