Art Therapy

When imagining a professional conference, one usually pictures executives talking jargon in their crisp power suits of navy-blue and perfectly polished shoes, examining graphs and statistics of some really important things. But at this conference, there are no stoic business associates discussing forecasts and analyses. Instead, I see eclectic fashion, colorful glasses, big tote bags, and warm smiles.This, is the American Art Therapy Association’s (AATA) annual conference. But what is art therapy? According to AATA, “Art therapy is an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active artmaking, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.” That’s a lot, but it essentially means that art can heal everyone. Mid-November, I had the opportunity of attending AATA’s 53rd annual conference in Minneapolis. As a student who attends an art high school, exploring different art careers alongside my peers can be challenging. I interviewed various successful art therapists at the conference asking what their journey was like to gain inspiration for not only myself, but for other interested creative minds.

So, what are some of the paths towards art therapy? Professor Maria Riccardi who teaches at Concordia University in Canada said she was a curious and good student in high school.

I was Italian so I had a strict family, so I always had to have better grades and there was a lot of pressure… But yes I was art focused. I used to draw in everything I had, I took the art classes, and I started to really like it a lot.”

Professor Joyce Yip Green, an assistant professor at Loyola Marymount University’s Department of Marital and Family Therapy/Art Therapy also shared what her high school experience was like. “I was a nerd, a straight-A student. But I was also really involved in different clubs on campus like Key Club and Yearbook Staff. I was an art focused person so that’s why I joined Yearbook Staff and the year I was the editor, our yearbook was nominated for best design.” However, despite being passionate about the arts, Professor Green had no idea about the world of art therapy until she was in college, “One of my mentors told me that there was a master’s degree in art therapy…They encouraged me to go to grad school to study art therapy because I was a psychology and studio art major.”

Like Professor Green, Professor Lisa D. Hinz, director of the art therapy doctorate program at Dominican University of California, didn’t discover art therapy in high school either. “In high school, I was an overachiever. I worked hard and I got straight A’s. I discovered art therapy when I became a psychologist. I had a PhD in clinical psychology and my first job was at the counseling center.” At the center, Professor Hinz gave college counseling and one day, volunteered to supervise an art therapy student. When observing the art therapy sessions, she was in awe of the process.

Everything I saw was so powerful. Because there’s a visual record, it doesn’t always have to involve so many words, and it was just - profound,”

said Professor Hinz.

On the other hand, Amanda Power who specializes in children and adolescents, tells a different story of her high school years. “I was kind of flying under the radar a little bit, school didn’t come super easy to me, but I worked pretty hard. I had some good teachers who helped guide me along the way and that was super helpful. Definitely not straight-A’s by any means but I managed to do okay,” Ms. Power said.

However, like the rest, she had never heard of art therapy until her later years in life. “I was really confused about what I wanted to do after graduating high school and I ended up starting university… but I followed my passion to go back to art school. When I was there, I had an amazing art history teacher who talked about art therapy…I thought it was such a cool idea because I always wanted to work in the arts and with people…I was always trying to do some other thing and it always led me back to art therapy!”

Finally, out of everyone I interviewed, Megan VanMeter who uses art therapy for burnout treatment was the only individual who discovered art therapy in high school,

I was a very good student. I was motivated, took my grades seriously, and knew I was heading to college. People were telling me all my life to be an artist so I didn’t want to be one. But when I was 13 I realized that I’m going to have to choose something so I guess I’ll do art. But I wasn’t convinced. When I was 15, I took the PSAT and checked the box saying I was interested in art careers and I got emails from college programs mentioning art therapy. And it just clicked in my head!…How wonderful to help people discover themselves through themselves.”

All of these people discovered art therapy in a serendipitous way. Through that one happen-chance, they all lept at the opportunity to help others heal through art. As Professor Hinz said, “I think it shows that it’s really powerful if you are a person who values art.” With this knowledge, as students of CSArts, we can bring kindness and love to others through art.