Pride Month is a time for the LGBTQ+ community and allies to celebrate and embrace identity. For art therapists and the mental health community, it's an opportunity to reiterate our support for safe and inclusive environments for all people to thrive. As anti-LGBTQ+, and in particular anti-trans, legislation continues to be introduced and hate-based crimes and discrimination continue across the country, mental health and well-being is more important than ever.

"Our queer clients are impacted by this legislation," Magdalena Karlick, Ph.D-c, ATR-BC, LPCC, explains in her article, Belonging is Being Seen: Pride, Community, and Trauma. "Those who reside in the states where some of this legislation has passed or have been proposed, as well as those who are concerned that their state may be next. This is not new though, as “conscience clauses” have given mental health practitioners in some states the right to refuse to offer services to queer clients. Many clients are scared about the violence that could happen at Pride events. Some clients have experienced the rise of public discrimination as a reason to isolate."

Here are resources for Pride Month and year round to support the LGBTQ+ community. Please share with your networks and on social media.

AATA Members: Please join us for a special All-Member Meeting on June 26, which will include a mini-learning session to honor Pride Month. AATA Board Member Michael Galarraga, LPC, ATR-BC, CSAC, CSOTP, and AATA Retired Member Dan Anthon, MA, ATR-BC, LCPC, will lead a discussion about what Pride means for art therapists across the generations reflected in our membership and how art therapists can continue to expand their meaningful work with Queer and Trans people. Register here.

 

We are so honored to announce more than 200 education sessions at the annual conference. Thank you to the remarkable presenters and panelists for joining us in Pittsburgh to share their expertise with us! The sessions are categorized by subject track to make it easier to identify the sessions you don’t want to miss.

➡️ Clinical Approaches
➡️ Contemporary Issues
➡️ Multicultural Perspectives
➡️ DEI
➡️ Research/Evaluation
➡️ Theory & Assessment
➡️ Technology & Innovation
➡️ Studio & Community
➡️ Education & Supervision

 

If you have questions about our in-person conference, especially if you will be a first-time attendee or are not sure if joining us is the right choice for you, then join us for an AATA2024 Ask-Me-Anything, June 18 at 8 p.m. ET!

AATA Conference Chair Carolyn Brown Treadon and AATA President-Elect Raquel Farrell-Kirk will be there to answer your questions about the in-person conference, from who you will meet (art therapists and students from around the world, as well as educators and researchers) to what to wear (conference hotels are always cold!)!

When you register for AATA 2024 during Early Bird, you’ll get the lowest registration rates — and secure your first choice seats in workshops and other limited-seat sessions! But act fast: Already, eight workshops are full, and several others are almost full. Early Bird registration ends June 19!

Virginia art therapists have worked hard over the course of many years to pass legislation creating a unique license for art therapists that protects the public and allows art therapists to practice art therapy in its own right. In 2020, art therapists finally succeeded, and the Virginia legislature passed legislation that was signed into law by then Governor Northam. Before the legislation could be acted upon, Governor Youngkin took office and has not since established an art therapy licensing process in accordance with the law. This has made it significantly harder for art therapists to begin serving their communities in the more robust ways promised by this legislation and has made Virginia less appealing for those graduating from the art therapy programs at Eastern Virginia Medical School and George Washington University.

If you live in Virginia, please help us establish a licensing process for art therapists in the state! Use our template and send letters to lawmakers.

 

The Accreditation Council for Art Therapy Education (ACATE) is currently seeking applications and nominations for two Educator and one Practitioner positions that will become open on July 1, 2024.

♦ Article: Art Therapy for Adolescents With Depression: Feasibility and Acceptability Study in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

♦ Brief Report: A Creative Arts Therapy and Nutrition Education Approach for Postmenopausal Women 

♦ Article: A Structured Observation Framework for Evaluating Clients’ Inner Change During and After Art Therapy

♦ Article: Attachment Representations of Female Child Sexual Abuse Survivors Reflected in the Bird’s Nest Drawing Assessment

♦ Article: Art Therapists’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and Experiences of Participation in Research

AATA Members have free, unlimited access to the Art Therapy Journal by logging in to MyAATA and clicking on the Professional Development tab.