Judy Wieser R.Psyc, ATR is a pioneer of PhotoTherapy, an art therapy technique that unfortunately too many art therapists don’t know about or understand (and she’s a fellow Canadian!). Ginger Poole from the Digital Art Therapy Group on LinkedIn conducted a brief written interview with Judy about PhotoTherapy. Judy discusses her techniques along with why it’s important for art therapists to understand and think about the impact of digital media on our lives. She points out that many art therapists over 30 are unaware of how prolific digital media and pictures are, as well as how easily they’re manipulated– blurring the boundaries of fantasy/wish and reality. Furthermore, she touches upon the idea of accessibility of one’s pictures, artwork, privacy and copyright issues.
Part of Judy’s message, is my opinion as well— Art Therapists! Don’t get left behind! It’s getting to the point that knowing about new technology/digital media and how to integrate it into one’s art therapy practice is not an option. It’s a must. As we become more technologically dependent and integrated, not having these skills will set you apart from your younger clients, causing a schism between your understanding of your world versus theirs.
How is it that many art therapy graduate programs are uncomfortable with exploring the use of digital media and it’s applications in terms of artx interventions? We are not doing ourselves any favors sticking to the study of structured versus unstructured media and not including digital media in the spectrum. I agree that for many organizations getting funding for new technology is difficult, but that doesn’t change the fact that on our younger client’s spare time they interact with digital and social media almost as much as they interact with the physical world (this is my observation, not taken from a statistical study). For better or for worse this is their reality. Thinking about it’s impact and discussing your observations on open forums, like the Digital Art Therapy Group is one way to keep in touch with the realities of living in a digital age.
You’re on LinkedIn but are not a member of the Digital Art Therapy Group on LinkedIn? Go here to join.
Thanks so much Liz, for featuring that Interview Ginger did with me!
I really appreciate your doing this — and I even more appreciate your comments that carry this thinking one more step further forward!
It’s also reassuring to find someone else who thinks like I do about all this (and hey, I’m 64 — so if *I* can keep up with the “younger” folks, then there’s no excuse in others saying “I’m too old; it’s too overwhelming”!! )
One thing that your readers might want to read, as additional context for this discussion is a “Commentary” article that I wrote for the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association back in 2000, just as the new “Millennium” had begun.
It is titled: “PhotoTherapy’s message for Art Therapists in the new Millennium” and it can be downloaded for free, from:
http://www.phototherapy-centre.com/articles/2000_PhTmillenm.pdf
When I re-read it in preparation for my Interview with Ginger, I was amazed how relevant it still was, nearly a decade later (and am saddened, actually, that these concerns ARE still relevant, due to still not being very often addressed!).
I have often been invited to do Conference Keynotes, but this year is the very FIRST time I’ve been asked to do a Presentation about “Ethical Considerations in Using Photos in Therapy (digital applications included)” — it’s going to happen in January in Philadelphia, at the DVATA Conference (which I’m also Keynoting and doing a full-day workshop for —
What is sad is that most of what I will cover in it is similar to what I would have covered *IF* AATA had accepted the proposal that I (in partnership with Terry Tibbetts — art therapist and lawyer) submitted for the previous Conference — which was rejected as “not being of primary interest to conference agenda” (I’m still not able to get my mind wrapped around that attitude!)
Thanks again for doing this — and for your amazing blog/website (I”m a frequent reader!
Judy (and note that people are welcome to contact me for more, directly at:
JWeiser@phototherapy-centre.com )
Hi Judy!
I’m so happy that you’re doing the keynote at the DVATA conference this year. The DVATA conference is frequented by many of the Drexel art therapy students who, if they are anything like my cohort, wondered why digital media and photography wasn’t discussed more in their course work. We were open to explore the topic if we wanted to and make digital artwork to accompany our papers/exams, or to choose it as a thesis topic, but nothing that I can remember in terms of having a reading assignment or lecture on the topic– and I graduated in ’07!
I’m pretty shocked that your proposal was not accepted in the AATA conference last year. Please submit it again for ’10 conference in Sacramento. I would love to hear what you have to say! Plus, it seems this year AATA is taking more of an interest in technology than before…they even have a technology committee now (which I’m hoping to join).
Thank you for all that you do! I hope to see you at the conference.
– Liz
Hi Liz, I think I wasn’t as clear as I should have been — that proposal was not for the “last” (most recent Conference) but rather for the “last” one that I attended, three or four years ago (cannot remember now…). It was the same year that Terry and I provided updates to the “Code” re: ethics of using photos in art therapy and related secondary applications — at least THOSE are there now!! I doubt that I can make the Sacramento one though, because I have very little funding and can only afford the cost of these Conferences once every few years… (Registration, Hotel, cross-border Flight, all combine to being the equivalent of at least two months’ rent on my Centre’s premises and …. that’s a lot of money!)… But will try…
Let’s connect at the Conference!! Judy