January 3, 2019
Julia Culkin LCAT, ATR-P, works as an art therapist at an outpatient mental health clinic in Brooklyn, NY. She values her AATA membership especially for the Journal subscription and access to the online Community Forum. “Topics of discussion are thought-provoking and make me feel connected to a larger community,” says Culkin. “I believe the online component to our membership with AATA greatly educates us as clinicians with those practicing innovative and outstanding roles in the art therapy field.”
Since graduating from School of Visual Arts, New York, with her MPS in Art Therapy in 2016, Culkin has worked in two Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) programs as well as a detox and rehab center before starting her current position. She is currently pursuing her CASAC-T (Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor trainee) credential. Passionate about research, Culkin hopes to one day study the intersection of art therapy and cognitive neuroscience.
Culkin finds that the intrinsic healing properties of art are often overlooked by those not actively practicing art making. “When others are open to becoming aware of the power that the manipulation of art media has in gaining insight into their own self, it becomes a catalyst for change.” She advocates for increased accessibility to art therapy services for the most marginalized communities, particularly in the NYC area where she practices.
"Archways” by Julia Culkin. January 2018. Acrylic paint.