Despite AATA's ongoing efforts to advocate for a remedy of the situation with the ATCB regarding credential inactivation and other communications confusion, we continue to hear from our members that the situation has not changed. I am now writing to you to seek your ideas and suggestions in moving forward. 

To recap, AATA is an entirely separate organization from the ATCB, and has no control over it (as detailed in this post). However, the ATCB is overseen by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), which reviews complaints particularly related to professional credentials. In late October, art therapists filed a complaint with the NCCA, which included the names and experiences of over 300 affected credential holders. Additionally, AATA's executive director spoke with the NCCA in November on behalf of the AATA board to share our deep concerns.
Many of you have shared your experiences and offered suggestions to colleagues in the MyAATA community forum. Thank you for contributing to the conversation, as it has assisted the AATA board in its ongoing and deliberate strategic discussions about the future of credentialing for the art therapy profession. 

We now ask that you to provide us with any specific short- or long-term suggestions you may have regarding next steps. We hope that your ideas will also help us as we continue to actively attempt to communicate with ATCB leadership to resolve these issues as soon as possible. Please take this survey to help us document your experience and aggregate feedback on how best to move forward and how the credentialing process can be more efficiently handled. I encourage you, also, to attend our annual meeting of the members (register here) where we plan to discuss this crisis and craft a plan for moving forward. We welcome all members, and encourage student attendance as they represent the future of the profession. Together, I hope we can support a credentialing system that works for everyone, protects the public, and encourages more people to enter and thrive in our profession. 

AATA’s annual meeting of the members is coming up in just five days. Join us on Dec. 7 to participate in important group discussions about the future of credentialing and how AATA can help our community in the coming year. Today, Dec. 2, is the deadline for submission of resolutions to be considered (Learn more about the resolution process and how to submit a resolution, here). As a reminder, members may submit resolutions as well as informal ideas to the board year-round to info@arttherapy.org. While all members are welcome and encouraged to attend, only professional members (New Professional, Professional, Credentialed Professional, Retired Professional, HLM) are eligible to vote on resolutions. REGISTER FOR THE ANNUAL MEMBER MEETING HERE

AATA Members, we want to thank you for being part of our community this year and beyond! As the season of giving and the new year approaches, we look forward to continuing to serve and support you during these unprecedented times.

Everyone who renews their membership on time or early, by the December 15th deadline, will be entered into our year end membership raffle. Prizes include:

  - A case of premium watercolor paper ($300 value)
  - Assortment of art supplies ($100 value) 
  - Assortment of art supplies ($50 value)
  - $50 ArtSnacks gift card

Winners of the raffle will also be added to the Art Therapy Today “Featured Member” rotation for a date in 2022!

If you plan to attend the last two conference days on Dec. 18 and 19, now is the time to get registered! Attendees will have access to 51 brand new sessions in the 52nd Annual Conference, Reconnecting and Visualizing Future Pathways for Art Therapy in a Diverse Society. Even if you are not available to attend on those days, by registering you will be able to access the sessions on-demand.

In addition to two great plenary sessions, the program will also include educational breakout sessions, networking, art making and more! Be sure to mark Saturday, Dec. 18 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time for the International Shared Interest Group, facilitated by Bani Malhotra, MA, ATR-BC and Susan Ainlay Anand, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPAT. This meeting is for international conference attendees or for members who live and work in more than one country. Come to network and unwind with artmaking. We will share and discuss the ongoing impact of the pandemic on our current work, travel or global collaborations. Registered conference attendees will find the link to the session on the virtual conference platform schedule on the day of the event (Dec. 18).

-  Register by Dec. 17 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time to be included as a participant at the Dec. 18 conference date.

- Register by Dec. 18 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time to be included as a participant at the Dec. 19 conference date.

There are four convenient ways to register: online https://members.arttherapy.org/upcoming-events, by fax or mail using the registration form, or by phone (during business hours) 888-290-0878 or 703-548-5860. Click here to view the full program. Register here.

Already registered? You will receive a pre-conference email the week of Dec. 13 with more information about the event, accessing the on-demand program and more!

On Jan. 29, 2022, Nancy Gerber, Ph.D, ATR-BC, Theresa Van Lith, Ph.D, ATR-BC, AThR, and Madeline Centracchio, MS are hosting a symposium reviewing the data they have collected and discussing how to transform their work into a strategic plan for art therapy research. This is a great opportunity to network with like-minded people about art therapy research and contribute to a strategic research plan. View the trailer for this event here and sign up via the Google doc. 

Monday Dec. 6 at 12 p.m., just in time for final exams, join board-certified art therapist Deanna Barton and learn about her art for wellness technique “Daily Circles”. This free workshop for HBCU students  incorporates music, movement, writing and art-making to encourage the process of self-observation and self-compassion. It is space and time to release thoughts and feelings and gently welcome whatever arises. The Circle will hold it for you. Free art kits will be mailed to you in advance upon registration. Wear comfortable clothing. This event is virtual. The workshop will be followed by a meeting with Ashley Resurreccion, an art therapy graduate student and AATA intern who will speak to participants about pathways to art therapy as a profession!