We are thrilled to host our first-ever technology event, Artful Connections: Technology, Art Therapy and Mental Health, to be held THIS SATURDAY, Dec. 2!

The Plenary Panel, Aspiring for the Future of Technology in Art Therapy, will address technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in particular. The panelists will discuss how they believe AI impacts the profession of art therapy, and how they incorporate new technologies into their art therapy practice:
♦ Moderator Erin Partridge, PhD, ATR-BC, is Head of Inspirement for Ensō Village and is published in the areas of art therapy, elder care, research methods, and technology. Her research interests incorporate the lived experience and focus on participatory, ethnographic, and art-based approaches.
♦ Ruchi Mehta heads Product Design for India’s largest online ticketing portal. Her explorations of different mediums have led her to use generative AI and software like procreate and figma to produce artwork to express her inner life.
♦ Nancy Choe, PhD, LMFT, ATR-BC, has completed research in art therapy which centered on digital media and technology, narrative medicine, the expressive therapies continuum (ETC), and post-traumatic creativity.
♦ Marie Deschamps, PhDc, is an art psychotherapist, researcher and artist, who has been developing a software to integrate art-based expression in health data monitoring, and collaborates with the SexTech lab on researching the use of AI generative art in fostering therapeutic attunement.

AATA’s voting members elected Raquel Farrell-Kirk, ATR-BC, to serve as the 2024-2025 President-Elect and Michael Galarraga, ATR-BC, as the 2024-2025 Secretary of the Board. 

In addition, our members voted for Melissa Hedlund Nelson, PhD, ATR-BC, LCPC, SEP, CADC, Kathryn Snyder, PHD, ATR-BC, LPC, and “Cori” Corinna Costello, PhD, LPC, LCPC, ATR-BC, to the 2024-2025 Board of Directors. Kachina Mooney, MA, LPC, ATR-BC, was elected to the Nominating Committee. 

Finally, the proposed Amendment to the Bylaws to enable international members to vote passed overwhelmingly. 93% of voters agreed to extend voting rights to international members!   

The Multicultural Committee is hosting an auction for the 2023 and 2014 Multicultural Quilts. The proceeds support the Pearlie Roberson Scholarship Award Fund and/or other Multicultural Committee endeavors. Please support the Committee by bidding for the quilts! 

Fall is upon us and so is renewal season. Renew today before the dues increase goes into effect on Jan. 1! You can renew for two years under the current dues rate. So, lock in your rate now. If you renew your membership before Dec. 15, you'll be entered into a raffle for art supply gift cards! Simply log into MyAATA to renew!

Art Therapy convenes an annual jury to identify one published paper per volume that made an exceptional contribution to peer-reviewed literature on theory and practice. Since 2012, the Best Paper Award winners have demonstrated creativity and originality, scientific and professional quality, scholarship, and significance. These articles advance the profession through innovative research, enhanced perspectives, and/or critical examinations.

Congratulations to Volume 39, Issue 1 authors Christina Blomdahl, Suzanne Guregård, Marie Rusner & Helle Wijk and their article Recovery From Depression—A 6-Month Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Study of Manual-Based Phenomenological Art Therapy for Persons With Depression.

Readers can view all of the Journal's best papers (2012-present) that have received this distinction in Art Therapy's online collection here.

Did you know AATA Members have free access to all Art Therapy Journal articles? Take a look at these two articles from newest issue: 
♦ Online Art Therapy-Based Self-Help Intervention Serving Emotional Betterment During COVID-19
By Zsuzsanna Geréb Valachiné, Adél Dancsik, Michelle M. Fitos & Renáta Cserjési
♦ Perceptions of Art Therapy by Healthcare Professionals in Medical Settings
By Dian Handayani, Peiling Pearlyn Lee, Xiangting Bernice Lin, Ju Ling Denise Seah & Kinjal Doshi

Join us for conversations about anti-oppressive art therapy with authors from the special issues on intersectionality (International Journal of Art Therapy), re-indigenization and anticolonialism (Canadian Journal of Art Therapy), and cultural humility (Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association).

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Featuring AATA Past President Chris Strang

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