#WeAreArtTherapists
Honoring African-American Art Therapy Pioneers
February 14, 2019 | #WeAreArtTherapists
This Black History Month and year round, we honor the contributions of African-Americans to the field of art therapy and to the Association. This year, as we celebrate the 365 days of our 50th Anniversary, we reflect on our history and look to the future of the American Art Therapy Association.
The Over-compensator: On Being an Iranian Art Therapist
January 25, 2023 | By Shereen Bar-or Becerra, MPS, LCAT, ATR-BC
Unprocessed trauma leads to rage. What we do with that raw emotion is what matters. For me, I had to acknowledge The Over-compensator in order to turn my rage into my superpower. I learned to see myself differently and help others to do the same through art therapy. In Iran, their rage has evolved into a revolution. For my fellow diaspora Iranians, I recognize my role within my career and this movement is to hold space for the decades of trauma to help push this movement forward.
Featured Member: Jie Shen
May 5, 2022
In my own response to art, I have written many Chinese poems about myself, my family, and my responses during or after art therapy sessions. My personal art has shifted through many phases, from using bamboo strolls, wires, paint, and magazines. As a collage artist right now, my biggest challenge for honoring my heritage is finding magazines, or collage materials that have AAPI faces.
Featured Member: Nomita Advani
April 21, 2022
I find great meaning in my role in supporting the well-being and quality of life of my clients, while also learning so much from them. I am grateful for that. The bonus is to be able to engage with artmaking and expressive, visual language every day.
Featured Member: Virginia Bobro
April 7, 2022
Birth stories contain the full range of human experiences: resilience, trauma, persistence, triumph, creativity, confusion, grief, connection, and more. I’m becoming an art therapist to more deeply understand and utilize art as a way to work through and transform trauma, disconnection, and distress during the childbearing years.
Featured Member: Mercedes Ballbé ter Maat, Ph.D., LPC, ATR-BC, HLM
March 10, 2022
I graduated as an art therapist from George Washington University in 1986. Almost 36 years later, I am grateful for the colleagues and friends with whom I have walked this journey. This journey is like a gift that keeps on giving, bringing memorable experiences and opportunities to grow alongside those we hope to heal.
Featured Member: Leonard Gerald Lambert
February 24, 2022
Known as the “King of Process” by his friends, Leonard Lambert’s career in art therapy has been quite the journey. Leonard was among the first black male art therapy students to graduate from Pratt Institute. In 1979, he completed his thesis, Stonecarving: A Projective and Creative Modality for the Drug User, working with groups at a Substance Abuse facility. After working as an art therapist for behavioral health at Harlem Hospital and receiving his ATR board certificate, Leonard decided to switch career paths to practice social work. Ten years later, he was called back to art therapy. Now conducting art therapy through Zoom interactions, he is excited to connect with other male art therapists and explore the “percolating” ideas within him.
Featured Member: Lauren Hall
December 16, 2021
I am new to this journey, but the journey of becoming an art therapist is one abundant with novel information and inspiration. Each lesson and reading holds the potential to be applied to my later practice. Another aspect of my education that has become more prevalent than ever is the inclusion of peer collaboration among my first-year colleagues. The art therapy educational system is one of overwhelming support and communication. This is indicative of the practice as a whole. It’s a profession of partnership and shared knowledge.
When Dreams Come True – Establishing an Art Therapy Master’s Program in India
June 15, 2021
We are thrilled to announce the art therapy master’s program at Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) – Art Design Technology University (ADT) in Pune, India! The MFA in Art Therapy is now offered though the School of Fine Arts & Applied Arts (SOFA). The first batch of students will be enrolled in 2021 and will graduate in 2023. In this post, we are excited to tell our story that led to this achievement and to share our hopes for the future.
Moments of Connection in Art Therapy with My Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Clients
May 17, 2021 | Miki Goerdt
As May is Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, I have been reflecting on my work with AANHPI clients. I am an East Asian immigrant, a Japanese art therapist, and a clinical social worker. I am sharing several stories from sessions with my AANHPI clients, hoping that they give you some understanding of AANHPI clients’ lived experiences.