Health Care

Art Therapy is Particularly Effective in Times of Crisis

Art Therapy is Particularly Effective in Times of Crisis

September 24, 2020

In the survey, we asked respondents: “As an art therapist, how would you describe to someone unfamiliar with the profession why art therapy is uniquely suited to support mental health during this pandemic?” The survey takers explained that art therapy is particularly effective during times of crisis, especially in coping with isolation, changes in circumstance, trauma, and grief. 

Mental Health Policy Implications during the Coronavirus Pandemic

Mental Health Policy Implications during the Coronavirus Pandemic

August 24, 2020 

While the results of this survey of art therapists capture a particular moment during the Coronavirus pandemic—when 95% of Americans were under some sort of stay-at-home policy—the findings remain relevant as the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise. We hope that these results will help inform how lawmakers address the ongoing mental health ramifications of the pandemic and better support mental health professionals.

We Joined 600+ Mental Health Advocates on Capitol Hill

We Joined 600+ Mental Health Advocates on Capitol Hill

September 19, 2019

“Be strong, be loud, and be assertive for those you serve.” – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-6)

This week, the AATA joined the National Council of Behavioral Health and over 600 mental health advocates for Hill Day 2019! The advocacy training was packed with strategies, tips, and inspirational moments preparing advocates for meetings with their elected officials the following day.

Voices of Art Therapy: Breaking the Cycle of Addiction

Voices of Art Therapy: Breaking the Cycle of Addiction

By Clara Keane | September 14, 2017 | Health Care

In 2008, my family member revealed that he had secretly been caught in a full-blown heroin addiction for the previous six years. Before, I had thought I knew him. I thought he just acted a certain way, dressed a certain way, and had certain less-than-positive attributes about him.

Postpartum Imagery: Finding the ‘Good Enough’

Postpartum Imagery: Finding the ‘Good Enough’

By Kathryn Snyder, MA, ATR-BC, LPC | January 20, 2016 | Health Care

The postpartum period in the family life cycle is one that is fraught with ambivalence and anxiety. While a new mother’s body is flooded with the oxytocin meant to link her in love with her helpless charge, it is also, often, simultaneously flooded with the hormones of fear and worry, combined with the fogginess of sleep deprivation and the stress of learning to take care of this fragile, small human.

Art Therapy and Eating Disorders: Resolving to Make Authentic Change

Art Therapy and Eating Disorders: Resolving to Make Authentic Change

By Michelle L. Dean | January 13, 2016 | Health Care

As the New Year unfolds, we may find ourselves inundated with messages to make resolutions, lose weight, and commence rigorous exercise programs in order to feel fit, fabulous, and most of all, loved. These ideals take hold and blossom for some because they play on underlying vulnerabilities and a need to look outside of oneself for assurances. As a result, each year countless seemingly innocent diets turn into deadly eating disorders.

Communication and Dementia: Painting a New Path through Art Therapy

Communication and Dementia: Painting a New Path through Art Therapy

By Raquel Chapin Stephenson | November 25, 2015 | Trauma | Health Care

William Utermohlen, a professional artist, recorded his cognitive decline through self-portraiture (Grady, 2006). Incredibly brave and astute, his visual representation of the journey into Alzheimer’s Disease reveals an increasingly fragmented ability to organize the world outside, the darkening of life around him – an increasingly frightening picture. For Utermohlen, expressing his sadness through his art was a way of staying connected with the outside world. Like Utermohlen, individuals who have dementia still have a great need to communicate with others (Stephenson, 2015).

The Next Chapter: Altered Book Making Group for Pediatric BMT/Oncology Caregivers

The Next Chapter: Altered Book Making Group for Pediatric BMT/Oncology Caregivers

By Abbien Crowley Ciucci and Hope Heffner | November 18, 2015 | Health Care| Children

The diagnosis of a serious illness is often life-altering. When given to a child, the news of disease can be indescribable. The story of hope that parents had written for their child may be disrupted with a few words. Whether newly diagnosed, or informed of a relapse, parents and caregivers might find themselves asking, what’s next? The engagement in treatment or return to the hospital can feel like another chapter in a daunting and distressing story. Separation from family, financial strain, and lack of sleep contribute to caregiver stress, all while a child suffers needle pricks and surgeries; helplessness and hopelessness can threaten to overwhelm. Thus, the need for a unique and accessible, but non-threatening, therapeutic support for caregivers was recognized.

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