AATA Blog
In Honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day: Centering Memory, Dignity, and Justice in Art Therapy
January 27, 2022 | By Zachary D. Van Den Berg, MA, ATR-P, LPC-Associate & Pat B. Allen, PhD, ATR
Today, we reflect on the past to inform a meaningful critique of the present and ultimately imagine a future of justice. For art therapists, the question could be adapted to: How might art therapists remember our inherited professional past, rooted in the legacies of the Holocaust, to inform a meaningful critique of the present discourse in art therapy and imagine a future of justice for our clients and ourselves?
Art Therapy and the No Surprises Act and its Good Faith Estimates
January 27, 2022 | By AATA National Office Staff with Special Thanks to AATA Member Mike Fogel, MA, ATR-BC, LPC, for contributing his significant research on this subject.
The No Surprises Act was signed into law with the intention of protecting health care consumers from “surprise medical bills.” Beginning Jan. 1, 2022, health care providers, including art therapists, are required to provide uninsured and self-pay clients a Good Faith Estimate of costs for services when they schedule care or when requested.
In Honor of MLK Day: Dr. King’s “Creative Maladjustment” and Our Role as Art Therapists
January 17, 2022 | Zachary D. Van Den Berg
In a speech to the APA, Dr. King urged social scientists to play active roles in challenging discrimination, white supremacy, and racial injustice…and “participate in the beauty of diversity.” As art therapists—given our dual roles as both therapists and artists—we have a unique opportunity to address issues of injustice and discrimination, and in Dr. King’s words, to “tell it like it is.”
2021’s Top Ten Blog Articles!
These are out most popular blog articles in 2021, ranked by number of page views! No. 1 – Art Therapy is Particularly Effective in Times of Crisis: Results of the Corona Virus Impact Report By AATA National Office Staff During the coronavirus pandemic, art therapists...
Featured Member: Lauren Hall
December 16, 2021
I am new to this journey, but the journey of becoming an art therapist is one abundant with novel information and inspiration. Each lesson and reading holds the potential to be applied to my later practice. Another aspect of my education that has become more prevalent than ever is the inclusion of peer collaboration among my first-year colleagues. The art therapy educational system is one of overwhelming support and communication. This is indicative of the practice as a whole. It’s a profession of partnership and shared knowledge.
Every Human Deserves Resilience: Using Art to Cultivate Intergenerational Healing in a BIPOC Colorado Community
On September 18th and 19th, Colorado Art Therapy Association members partnered with Social Justice Therapist Nicole Xenos of Painted One Healing to support Denver-based BIPOC artists in a community-based art workshop: Every Human Deserves Resilience. For two days, therapists joined with professional artists Moe Gram, Danielle Seewalker and Karma Leigh to help facilitate a workshop based on Gram’s Every Human Empathy Campaign. This art-based workshop provided a supportive space for BIPOC community members to come together to engage in therapeutic resources, have hard conversations and to create art.
Mental Health Resources to Support Communities Coping with the Crisis in Afghanistan
The stories and images coming out of Afghanistan resulting from the Taliban takeover of the Afghan government are heart-wrenching. For so many who have a direct connection or unique perspective, this is a particularly difficult time, with serious mental health repercussions. AATA has compiled this list of mental health resources for emergency support and other assistance.
Update on Integrating DEI into All Aspects of the Association
July 29, 2021 | Gretchen M. Miller
The purpose of this update is to provide a status report on the ways in which AATA has begun to address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) throughout the entire organization, and to communicate about the next steps in this ongoing process. Much like in national conversations, this process has included critically re-examining, dismantling, and transforming policies, structures, and identifying our biases throughout the AATA, and assessing impacts on the broader art therapy community.
When Dreams Come True – Establishing an Art Therapy Master’s Program in India
June 15, 2021
We are thrilled to announce the art therapy master’s program at Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) – Art Design Technology University (ADT) in Pune, India! The MFA in Art Therapy is now offered though the School of Fine Arts & Applied Arts (SOFA). The first batch of students will be enrolled in 2021 and will graduate in 2023. In this post, we are excited to tell our story that led to this achievement and to share our hopes for the future.
Antiracist and Anti-Oppressive Publishing Practices in Art Therapy Journal
May 20, 2021 | Art Therapy Journal Editor, Associate Editors, and Advisory Board
As part of the American Art Therapy Association’s (AATA) broader Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative, Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association is incorporating a range of antiracist and anti-oppressive publishing practices. We began by intentionally recruiting reviewers who hold various identities – racial, cultural, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, gender/gender identity, disability, and others. We are always looking for new reviewers to join our ad-hoc pool so that people can be ready to join the full review board.