March 28, 2019 | Susan Boxer Kappel, MA, ATR-BC, LCAT, CGP, Conference Chair
We hope you enjoy this special preview of the American Art Therapy Association’s 50th Annual Conference to be held October 30 to November 3, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. This year, the Conference Committee has infused the program with a number of new ideas and creative learning approaches. We have also included some “back-by-popular demand” features too. Our goal is to ensure that we listen to your feedback and strive to make the conference vibrant, fresh, and creative! This special preview provides some of the highlights. We are so excited about KC – and hope you catch that spirit too!
The Conference Committee is pleased to announce that Dr. Essam Daod, will be our featured keynote speaker during our Saturday afternoon plenary (November 2, from 1:15 to 2:15 pm). Dr. Daod, Co-founder and Mental Health Director of Humanity Crew, is a psychiatrist and psychotherapist who grew up in Israel in a small Arab Palestinian village in the Galilee. He specialized in child and adolescent psychiatry and graduated from psychoanalytic school. In 2015, he flew to Greece for a humanitarian rescue mission where he co-founded Humanity Crew and has been working with refugees ever since. Currently, he is an avid refugee mental health activist and researcher who has spoken in countless conferences and media outlets all over the world advocating for the importance of mental health support for refugees. In 2018, he became a World Health Organization (WHO) mental health expert team member, and a TED Fellow. Humanity Crew specializes in the provision of first response mental health support and psychological aid to refugees and people in crises, working to deploy mental health and psycho-social support to displaced populations in order to improve their well-being, to restore order in their lives, and to prevent further psychological escalation. Following Dr. Daod’s keynote he will participate in a Master Class Panel “Art Therapy with Refugee and Migrant Populations,” moderated by Lynn Kapitan, PhD, ATR-BC, HLM. Joining Dr. Daod and Dr. Kapitan will be several seasoned Art Therapists who will share their local and global experience and expertise with this population group for “take-home” learning application.
Left: Dr. Essam Daod (photo credit: Rana Matar). Right: Dr. Angela Roman Clack.
Our plenary on Thursday, October 31 in the morning will feature, Dr. Angela Roman Clack, who along with members of the AATA Multicultural Committee (see below) will co-present, “Breaking the Chains of Racial Trauma in Therapy.” Dr. Angela Roman Clack, is a licensed psychotherapist, clinician and owner of Clack Associates, LLC a private practice outpatient counseling agency. She has been working in the mental health field for more than 25 years. Dr. Clack is known for her ability to teach, supervise, coach, and provide training in various areas pertaining to children, youth, and their families. Because of her training and teaching abilities, Dr. Clack has made a massive impact in her community by reducing the stigma of people of color who seek mental health treatment.
Learning Abounds! The conference offers more than 230 educational sessions that provide a rich learning environment for attendees to take away ideas, knowledge, and inspiration to apply to their current positions, practices, and professional development. The conference also provides continuing education. Both didactic and experiential learning can be found in the program. So whether you learn directly from your peers while you network, attend a didactic session to hear the latest research and techniques in art therapy, or “learn by doing” with art supplies and directives — this conference provides something for everyone!
A new format we are featuring this year is Pop-Up Learning. This style of learning provides both pre-arranged topics, as well as the opportunity for attendees to post a “Pop-Up” session on the whiteboard to invite others to join. The sessions are more spontaneous, less structured, and more participatory. They also provide a fantastic opportunity for enhanced networking!
Schedule Enhancements – This year we will offer three plenary sessions for maximum learning and inspiration. The Annual Meeting of the Membership will be held at a new time on Friday during the lunch break so you can purchase a quick grab-and-go lunch and come to the meeting to hear AATA’s latest strategic direction discussions. We have also staggered the start times of the Paper Track with the Panels and Workshops Tracks, so you will be able to go back and forth in these tracks and still be able to attend a maxium number of sessions.
Fun Lunch Options! We know you love food trucks – so we’re bringing them back KC-style! On Thursday and Saturday you can experience the KC foodie scene via food trucks. Purchase your lunch then network with colleagues or take part a Pop-Up Learning session.
New Mobile App Features – This year you’ll be able to network more effectively with other attendees using a chat feature within the app. You’ll also be able to create your own personalized schedule consisting of both conference and personal meetings.
Get Creative! One of the unique features of our conference is art-making. Take time during the conference for creative inspiration. Visit the Open Art Studio, where you’ll find art supplies generously donated by Blick Art Materials and create some art!
Celebrate AATA’s 50th In Style –Bring your glitz, glam, and gold for Thursday’s “An Evening with Rising Stars and Legacy Members event!” Walk the red carpet, have your photo taken, wear some “gold” attire for our 50th and enjoy drink coupons at the cash bar. Following the presentation of AATA’s Scholarships, Honors, and Research Awards, enjoy our presentation “Conversations with Legacy Members: AATA Then, Now, and in the Future.” This will truly be an evening to remember.
These are just a few of the highlights of this year’s conference. To get more details visit www.arttherapyconference.com. And be sure to register early! Registration opens April 2.
