American Art Therapy Association

American Art Therapy Association
Name	American Art Therapy Association
Founded	1969
Headquarters	United States
Type	Professional association
Purpose	Art therapy advocacy, education, research

American Art Therapy Association

The American Art Therapy Association is a professional organization founded to advance the practice and study of art therapy in the United States. It serves as a hub for clinicians, educators, researchers, and students associated with major institutions and cultural centers, fostering connections among practitioners, hospitals, museums, and mental health systems. The Association promotes standards, credentialing, scholarship, and public awareness in collaboration with allied organizations and governmental bodies.

History

The Association emerged during a period of expansion in expressive therapies when practitioners associated with National Endowment for the Arts, Smithsonian Institution, Columbia University, New York University, University of Pennsylvania, George Washington University, UCLA, University of California, Berkeley, Harvard University, Yale University, Johns Hopkins University, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Art Institute of Chicago, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Menninger Clinic, Riverside Church Hospital and community programs sought professional organization. Early leaders included clinicians connected to World War II, Vietnam War, Civil Rights Movement, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, National Association of Social Workers, and veterans’ hospitals such as Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The Association formalized standards amid debates paralleling developments at American Counseling Association and National Association for Mental Health and navigated licensure trends in states like California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington and Oregon.

Mission and Activities

The Association’s mission emphasizes clinical practice, research, and public education in collaboration with museums, hospitals, universities, and advocacy groups. Initiatives connect members with funding sources such as National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, and philanthropic organizations like Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Gates Foundation and regional arts councils. Programs partner with cultural institutions including Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Museum, National Gallery of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Walker Art Center, High Museum of Art, Seattle Art Museum, and community centers tied to YMCA, Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and veterans’ services.

Membership and Certification

Membership comprises clinicians, board-certified professionals, researchers, and students affiliated with universities and hospitals such as Rutgers University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of California, Los Angeles, University of Utah, DePaul University, Adelphi University, Drexel University, Lesley University, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, Mount Mary University and international partners in Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, India, Japan, Brazil, Germany, France and South Africa. Certification pathways interface with licensure frameworks in states and with credentialing bodies like National Board for Certified Counselors, Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, American Board of Professional Psychology, and insurance panels including Medicaid programs in various states. The Association administers membership tiers and supports Continuing Education through affiliations with hospital systems such as Cleveland Clinic and specialty providers including Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Education and Professional Standards

The Association develops education guidelines referenced by academic programs at Columbia University Teachers College, New York University Steinhardt School, University of Denver, Florida State University, George Washington University Graduate School, San Francisco Art Institute, Rhode Island School of Design, Cooper Union, Pratt Institute, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, California Institute of the Arts, and art therapy curricula influenced by professional boards in Ontario and regulatory agencies in England. Standards address clinical competencies, supervision models, and ethical codes aligned with American Psychological Association and National Association of Social Workers guidelines. The Association engages with accreditation processes similar to those of Council for Higher Education Accreditation and program evaluation comparable to procedures at Association of American Universities institutions.

Conferences and Publications

Annual conferences attract presenters from museums, hospitals, universities, and government agencies including Smithsonian Institution, National Institutes of Health, American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, American Psychological Association Convention, Association for Research in Nervous and Mental Disease, and international gatherings such as World Congress of Psychotherapy. Publications include peer-reviewed journals and newsletters drawing contributors from journals like The Lancet, JAMA Psychiatry, American Journal of Psychiatry, Journal of the American Medical Association, Pediatrics and specialty outlets in art therapy research. Conference programming features keynote speakers from major institutions like Harvard Medical School, Yale School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and collaborative panels with organizations such as National Alliance on Mental Illness, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health Administration, and community arts organizations.

Advocacy and Public Policy

The Association advocates for recognition of art therapy within health systems, insurance reimbursement, and state licensure, engaging with federal and state policymakers and allied organizations such as U.S. Congress, Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, State Department of Education, and state legislatures across California, New York, Texas, Florida, Illinois and Ohio. Advocacy efforts align with disability rights and veterans’ services groups including American Civil Liberties Union, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Wounded Warrior Project, National Disability Rights Network, and public health initiatives led by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Association participates in coalitions addressing mental health parity and workforce development alongside Mental Health America, National Council for Mental Wellbeing, American Psychiatric Association, and insurance stakeholders.

Category:Art therapy organizations