AATA Blog
An Expert on School-Based Art Therapy Explains how Art Therapy Helps Children Make Sense of the Insensible
By Clara Keane | May 11, 2017 | Children | Education
During the month of May, starting with the kickoff event on National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the AATA is highlighting topics related to children’s mental health in Art Therapy Today.
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.
SoCalATA Honors Lauryn Hunter: Art Therapist Helps Standing Rock Children and Families
By Teresa Grame | February 23, 2017 | Community
The Southern California Art Therapy Association (SoCalATA) was honored to present Lauryn Hunter, LMFT, ATR with the Art Therapy Distinguished Service Award at our Annual General meeting held on February 4, 2017. The award recognized Lauryn for her important role in responding to the needs of the children and families of the water protectors at Standing Rock in North Dakota, in addition to her work in the local schools of Los Angeles.
Eco-Art Therapy: Deepening Connections with the Natural World
By Ellen Speert | October 27, 2016 | About Art Therapy
The Nez Pierce have a saying: “Heal yourself and heal Mother Earth and all our relations.” It is widely agreed that art therapy is as old as the earliest human expression. We cite prehistoric cave paintings as evidence that people used art (therapy) to relate to what was most important to their lives, utilizing available materials to summon power in relationship to their needs.
Transformations in Time: Art Therapy Exhibit Captures Responses to 9/11
By Kat Michel | September 7, 2016 | Trauma | Events
From September 6-8, 2016, Bellevue Hospital in New York City will be hosting the exhibit “Transformations in Time,” artwork created in response to 9/11 and in observance of its 15th anniversary. The artworks, created through the Art Therapy Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue’s World Trade Center (WTC) Environmental Health Center, serve as visual representations of change and growth.
Art Therapists Empower College Students through Craftivism
By Lauren Leone, Michaela Kirby, and Nancy Lautenbach, | June 29, 2016 | Education | Events
“Felt and yarn, things I only associated with being soft and warm, are now materials that I see as strong, empowering and secure. It also does help that there is so much meaning in using an art form that was really seen as women’s work to spread awareness about social justice for women.”
— Gopi Shah, Craft & Chat workshop participant
Bringing Art to Life through Storytelling
By Sarah Margaret Wade | April 27, 2016 | About Art Therapy | Community | #WeAreArtTherapists
I recently attended a celebratory gala and art show at the University of Alabama to honor five years of Art to Life, a program of art therapy and storytelling for adults diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders. Art to Life is a course sponsored by University of Alabama’s Honors College in collaboration with the Cognitive Dynamics Foundation in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month at Make Studio
By Jill E. Scheibler | April 1, 2016 | #WeAreArtTherapists
Since the early 1970s, April has been recognized as Autism Awareness Month and, more recently, it has been additionally or alternatively celebrated as Autism Acceptance Month.
Charleston Heals Through Art: HeArts Mends Hearts
By Dianne Tennyson Vincent | March 2, 2016 | Trauma | #WeAreArtTherapists
June 17, 2015 was a peaceful evening in downtown Charleston, SC. A regular Wednesday night prayer meeting service was taking place in the historic Emanuel AME Church. After an hour of Bible study and prayer, the unthinkable happened. A young, unfamiliar white man welcomed to the group pulled a gun and killed nine parishioners, including State Senator Clementa C. Pinckney. A grandmother shielded her grandchild with her own body while they both played dead.