#WeAreArtTherapists
Highlights from the Inaugural International Art Therapy Practice/Research Conference Held in London
July 25, 2019 | International | Research | #WeAreArtTherapists
“I am proud and excited to have been part of this inaugural research and practice conference held in collaboration with the British Association of Art Therapists. I very much enjoyed the opportunity to meet and speak with art therapists from such diverse backgrounds, and I was completely impressed by depth and breadth of the research and practice occurring throughout the world. The future of art therapy is indeed bright!” – AATA President Christianne Strang, PhD, ATR-BC
50 Years Ago Today…
June 27, 2019 | By Christianne Strang | #WeAreArtTherapists
On June 27, 1969, a group of art therapists from across the United States and Canada met in Louisville, Kentucky with the hope of making “art therapy and its relationship to mental health and education more clearly defined and further developed.” Their discussions, which lasted into the early hours of the next day, resulted in the adoption of a constitution for a new organization, the American Art Therapy Association.
Monthly Art Therapy Group Continues for Northern California Camp Fire Survivors
June 27, 2019 | By Devora Weinapple
On November 8, 2018, a wind-whipped inferno ripped through and leveled the densely populated foothill town of Paradise in less than a day. This urban firestorm, known as the Camp Fire, surpassed the worst fires to date in the state’s history, which had been those that devastated Sonoma and Mendocino Counties just in the previous fall of 2017.
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.
Featured Member: Jordan Potash, Editor in Chief, Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association
May 2, 2019 | #WeAreArtTherapists | Research |
“Research is fundamentally an exercise in curiosity. We are all researchers looking to explain the world. Any phenomenon is ripe for understanding. Researchers are wonderers who need to select the best method for the given situation. Some are best interpreted in stories, some in numbers, and others through art. They can be observed just once or repeatedly over time. Authors should keep in mind that when it comes time to communicate what they found and how they found it, they should write from that perspective’s frame of truth so their studies can be validated on its own terms.”
Laura Greenstone’s Vision for the African-American and Afro-Caribbean Art Therapy Student Scholarship
February 21, 2019 | By Jack Harris | #WeAreArtTherapists
Laura Greenstone died on July 18, 2018 suddenly, but not necessarily unexpectedly. In the year before she died, she had begun increasingly to talk about where she had been and where she was going, as well as where her profession had been and where it was going. Together we began to take steps to secure Laura’s work and legacy as we began some intensive estate and disability planning. As part of these efforts, Laura made a bequest of $25,000 to the American Art Therapy Association for the establishment of a scholarship to support masters-level African-American and Afro-Caribbean art therapy students.
Featured Member: Cheryl Doby-Copeland, 2018 Recipient of Honorary Lifetime Member Award
February 7, 2019 | #WeAreArtTherapists
During the annual conference, the AATA was honored to bestow the 2018 Honorary Lifetime Member (HLM) award to Cheryl Doby-Copeland, PhD, ATR-BC, LPC, LMFT, in recognition of her vast contributions to the field and Association. Throughout her career, she has demonstrated excellence in leadership, clinical work, research, character, and mentorship.
Share Your Memories, Moments, and Milestones of Art Therapy on Social Media
January 17, 2019 | #WeAreArtTherapists
We’re kicking off our 50th anniversary year with a fun, collaborative social media project celebrating the art therapy profession! Already, people have shared dozens of remarkable personal stories about their journey to art therapy, as well as heartfelt memories and experiences being an art therapist.
June is Pride Month: Here’s what art therapists need to know
By Daniel Blausey | June 21, 2018 | #WeAreArtTherapists
For art therapists, Pride Month is not only a time to celebrate, commemorate, and march proudly in solidarity, it is also a time to reflect on the shifting political and cultural fronts impacting our clients within the LGBTQIA community on a day-to-day basis. It is important to recognize the varying social locations — cultural backgrounds such as religion, language, cuisine, social habits, arts, and specific family history of race, gender, socio-economic status, and education — that intersect for each of our clients, potentially manifesting as depression, suicidality, anger, low self-worth or any combination of emotions.
Featured Member: 2018 Conference Logo Artist Contributor
By Nina Hausfeld | June 14, 2018 | #WeAreArtTherapists
I feel deeply honored that my artwork was selected to serve as a visual representation of our theme of “Honoring Yesterday, Celebrating Today and Building Tomorrow.” I think that the Board’s decision to add the lotus mandala extending beyond the boundaries of the colored center is what really transformed a visually pleasing background conceived by me into a meaningful symbol that encompasses this conference’s theme.