Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Unraveling the Misconceptions of Hair
Feb. 8, 2023 | By Naarah Macklin, MS, LMHC
The start of this journey began with an individual asking to touch my hair in a professional setting. The question was innocent enough. But why would she ask to touch my hair? What makes my hair such a form of curiosity? This experience began my quest to explore answers within safe spaces for individuals to get together and share their own personal experiences related to hair.
Hispanic Heritage Month 2022 in Review
10/21/2022
Thanks to our presenter, AATA Board member Michael Galarraga, our session moderator, AATA President Elect Nadia Paredes, and everyone who attended AATA’s bilingual learning event, Art Therapy: Como si dice?. For those who missed it, the recording is now available On-Demand through our Continuing Education platform.
Join Us October 13 as We Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a Special Virtual Session! ¡Únanse a nosotros para celebrar el Mes de la Herencia Hispana!
October 6, 2022
We invite you to join us in this bilingual session to celebrate, honor, and represent our cultural efforts in the field of art therapy! ¡Te invitamos a unirte con nosotros en esta sesión bilingüe para celebrar, honrar y representar nuestros esfuerzos culturales en la profesión de la terapia de arte!
Black History in Art Therapy: A Living Reference & Resource Guide
February 10, 2022 | Compiled by Deanna Barton, MA, ATR-BC & Zachary D. Van Den Berg, MA, ATR-P, LPC-Associate Early Black History in Art Therapy Overview Boston, C., Doby-Copeland, C., & Short, G. (2001, November). Learning from our past: Honoring our...
In Honor of Black History Month: Centering Black Aesthetics in Art Therapy Past, Present & Future
February 10, 2022 | Deanna Barton, MA, ATR-BC & Zachary D. Van Den Berg, MA, ATR-P, LPC-Associate In February, we celebrate Black History Month by honoring the labors and contributions of Black art therapists towards their clients, the profession at large, and the...
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.”
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.
Findings from AATA’s DEI Listening Session Series and Survey
July 29, 2021
Last winter, AATA conducted a series of listening sessions and an online survey to hear from members and the broader art therapy community about their experiences and suggestions in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Barriers to entering the field and lack of diversity in the profession were identified as the two overarching issues that need to be prioritized.
Kristin Wunderlin, MEd, ATR-BC, LPC
June 30, 2021
One of the ways that I have used Art Therapy as a tool to advance this work is by incorporating interventions focused on identity exploration. By creating a safe space for individuals to express their identities, intersections, and ongoing development through art making, we can facilitate the processing of complex feelings and traumas and the validation of their unique perspectives.
Sharelle Langaigne, MA, ART-BC, LCAT
June 14, 2021
In my work I’ve tried to create a space where all feel welcome to come as they. I encourage every client that I come in contact with to discover their voice and use it in a way that feels safe for them. My own artwork gives me a place to honor and celebrate my own culture, heritage and intersectionality. It was especially important for me when I didn’t feel safe enough to express all the parts of my intersectionality with my voice. My art is limitless.