Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Statement from the AATA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee: Revisiting our Values during the Coronavirus Pandemic
May 5, 2020 | AATA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
As art therapists, we value the essential need for the individuals, families, and communities we serve to have access to healthcare services and treatment no matter their ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, location, gender, disability status, and sexual orientation.
Antiracist Approach to Art Therapy: Re-examining Core Concepts
February 26, 2020 | Jordan S. Potash
As a White art therapist who has worked cross-racially for almost my entire career, I am regularly reminded that there are always racial-social-political influences that enter into the art therapy relationship. My current work in an open art therapy studio at a drop-in center for runaway and homeless adolescents and young adults, most of whom are Black, reinforces three strategies for art therapists for understanding and responding to power differentials.
3 Ways for Therapists to Address Barriers to Seeking Therapy
February 25, 2020 | Angela Roman Clack
I am pleased to participate in this blog series reemphasizing the themes covered in the “Breaking the Chains of Racial Trauma in Therapy” panel at the AATA’s 50th conference . In the panel presentation, I shared examples from my work with Black women to demonstrate how racism contributes to a denial of one’s psychological stress or acknowledgement of how therapy could be beneficial. Living life in black skin is an undeniable racialized existence.
Creative Healing Spaces: Healing From Racial Wounds
February 24, 2020 | Lindsey Vance
Growing up in a community that did not speak of mental health care or seeing a therapist, this idea of a career path was foreign to me. Explaining to my family that I was going to be an Art Therapist was even more so confusing, however I went on to be one. The privilege to work in various clinical and community-based settings afforded me the opportunity to recognize that I was not alone in my childhood stigma of misunderstanding and distrust for psychotherapy, but rather various clients of color shared this same belief.
Framing Race in the Context of Art Therapy
February 20, 2020 | Cheryl Doby-Copeland
The 400th anniversary of the arrival in America of the first enslaved people from West Africa validated my interest in the generational impact of racial trauma. The New York Times Magazine 1619 Project galvanized me to consider how historical racial trauma has not been a primary treatment consideration in my client caseload.
Blog Series: Breaking the Chains of Racial Trauma in Therapy
February 13, 2020 | Gwendolyn Short
In recognition of Black History Month, it’s my pleasure to introduce this blog series building on the topics covered during the “Breaking the Chains of Racial Trauma” plenary panel I moderated at AATA’s 50th conference in Kansas City in November of 2019! If you were in attendance, this is an excellent opportunity to revisit the content, and I’m honored to present it to others for the first time.
AATA Board of Directors Approves Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Mission and Vision Statements
September 5, 2019
As part of the AATA’s ongoing commitment to increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I), the AATA Board of Directors approved the following DE&I Mission and DE&I Vision statements to guide our work incorporating DE&I into all aspects the Association.
The Art of Origami: An Art Therapist Explains its History and Use in Trauma Work
May 29, 2019 | Trauma |#WeAreArtTherapists |
Origami within the context of an art therapy session can have many uses, including‒but not limited to‒ helping people deal with trauma, practicing mindfulness, and even promoting sensorimotor skills or frustration tolerance. However, the art form has a history that spans back even further than the term “origami” itself. We spoke with art therapist and creator of Expressive Origami Therapy (EOT), Toshiko Kobayashi, LCAT, ATCS, ATR-BC, to get a more in-depth look into the origins of origami, as well as its past and modern role in art therapy practice.
Ask Me Anything! Featuring Dr. Cheryl Doby-Copeland
March 6, 2019 | #WeAreArtTherapists
Cheryl Doby-Copeland, PhD, ATR-BC, LPC, LMFT, HLM joins us at the AATA National Office to answer your questions, and talk about her perspectives on art therapy practice, addressing diversity, working with trauma, and more.
The History of the Annual Pearlie Roberson Multicultural Quilt Project
February 28, 2019 | By Delora Putnam-Bryant
Quilts and quilt making in the African American culture can be traced back to the times when black Americans were enslaved. There are several accounts of how slaves incorporated the techniques of quilting from their native land’s fabric making process, and enslaved Americans passed down quilting to other slaves. Materials gathered from scraps of fabric that could no longer be used, were repurposed to create quilts.