AATA Blog
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.
June is Pride Month: Here’s what art therapists need to know
By Daniel Blausey | June 21, 2018 | #WeAreArtTherapists
For art therapists, Pride Month is not only a time to celebrate, commemorate, and march proudly in solidarity, it is also a time to reflect on the shifting political and cultural fronts impacting our clients within the LGBTQIA community on a day-to-day basis. It is important to recognize the varying social locations — cultural backgrounds such as religion, language, cuisine, social habits, arts, and specific family history of race, gender, socio-economic status, and education — that intersect for each of our clients, potentially manifesting as depression, suicidality, anger, low self-worth or any combination of emotions.
Featured Member: 2018 Conference Logo Artist Contributor
By Nina Hausfeld | June 14, 2018 | #WeAreArtTherapists
I feel deeply honored that my artwork was selected to serve as a visual representation of our theme of “Honoring Yesterday, Celebrating Today and Building Tomorrow.” I think that the Board’s decision to add the lotus mandala extending beyond the boundaries of the colored center is what really transformed a visually pleasing background conceived by me into a meaningful symbol that encompasses this conference’s theme.