A quick blurb about an Art Therapy bereavement group in Fallbrook, CA
An article explaining how art making helped a woman who suffered from a traumatic brain injury after slipping on some black ice. Her artwork is being exhibited through September at Gritman Medical Center Conference Center in Moscow, ID.
Read about Dawn Freeman’s art therapy group for cancer patients, families, friends and caregivers held at North Coast Cancer Care in Ohio.
A rag doll making workshop will be hosted by Dr. Holly Feen-Calligan at Wayne State University, Washington. To read more about the workshop and some of the benefits of doll making, click here.
An article discussing art therapy in an inpatient and an acute partial hospitalization program at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Reading, PA. Don’t forget to click on the slide show, which highlights some of the art pieces created by the clients.
Liz, I just love this series of posts and am so grateful to you for collecting them and sending us the information. I’m interested to see just how much “therapeutic art” is being facilitated by non art therapists. I don’t ever know whether to reach out and try to educate people or just to let it be. As far as I can tell, most people are out there doing good, not ill. Still, as a professional I do wonder how to relate? Recently I saw an article about a SW at the Veterans’ Administration who was doing “art therapy.” Not listed on any of the credential sites. Interesting world we live in…
Hey Mal,
This subject was a hot topic for many of my professors at Drexel, where I completed my MA. They encouraged us (the students) to educate others about the difference between “therapeutic art” or an art class/group versus what a trained art therapist is doing during their sessions. As I’m sure you know, art therapists go beyond just encouraging sublimation and self expression. Untrained people in artx also tend to think that they can apply artx directives in a formulaic manner, like the directives are recreational activities rather than deliberately suggested for a purpose. I’m concerned about the use of books that have titles like “101 art therapy activities”, for that very reason.
On the other hand, there are licensed professionals who have taken continuing education courses, workshops, attend conferences, etc…who seem competent enough in artx theory that I dont feel uncomfortable with them using the term “art therapy” in their practice. In other words, the Social Worker from the VA who has 100 hrs of artx training and is a licensed mental health professional who uses artx in her practice doesn’t bother me as much as the artist who happens to work with the mentally ill in an art as therapy style group, who has little or no training in ethics, psychopathology, developmental theories, etc…
That being said, I don’t know what AATA’s stance is on licensed professionals who use artx within their practices beyond the fact that these professionals cannot call themselves “art therapists”.
As always, thank you for your comments!
As a side note, I appreciate that the art therapy facilitators who are not actually art therapists are careful to mention that their training level is below that of an ATR. For example, in the Fallbrook article the term that is used in “art workshop facilitator”. Also in the stars and stripes article, the SW clearly talks about how many hours of training she’s had. I think this demonstrates that many art therapy facilitators who are not art therapists realize that there is a need to disclose their credentials (or lack thereof). This in turn helps to highlight the importance of artx training, and the respect given to those who have completed the school, internship and work dedicated to becoming an ATR.