Art Therapists are Recreation Therapists?

Sigh. As Cathy Malchiodi pointed out on her Facebook page today, it’s very disappointing to see that the US Department of Labor considers Art Therapists to be Recreation Therapists. Not Therapist or Mental Health Counselor. And of course, not just plain old Art Therapist. Art Therapy apparently can’t stand alone, like Marriage and Family Therapist, Counselor or Social Worker.

Oddly enough, according to AATA, Art Therapy is now a “distinct employment classification” according to the Department of Labor:

“The Association has been working diligently in the past 2 years to add the profession of art therapy to the Bureau of Labor Statistics database as a distinct employment classification.”

Apparently, according to AATA, the definition of a “distinct” profession is to simply be classified at all. But, the meaning of the words and the taxonomy used to describe any given thing defines how we perceive that thing. If Art Therapy is merely a sub-classification, then we’re on a path of public misconception. And once that path is forged is very difficult to gain back ground.

And, while I’m glad that Art Therapist made it onto the list of jobs recognized by the Labor Dept, it’s a blow to the profession that AATA did not come through for and Art Therapy classification that is worthy of the Art Therapy field. To be a certified Recreation Therapist you need a BA. All art therapists at minimum have an MA, and many are PhDs, with specializations in specific psychotherapeutic techniques to treat mental illness and trauma. I’ve worked with several rec therapists, and they all were fly by the seat of their pants when it came to clinical work (if they were even expected to do any clinical work)…because they were not trained in clinical work at the level of an Art Therapist or any other clinician for that matter.

I’m having trouble understanding AATA’s rationale for this decision. Is it that they’ll take what they can get and be happy to be included in the Labor Dept statistics at all? How can they justify Art Therapists needing an MA in order to practice if we’re lumped in with a profession that only requires a BA? Why are they ok with placing the Art Therapy profession on the wrong path? Is it not worth struggling for a longer period of time, but actually being a truly distinct profession, such as Marriage and Family Therapists?

Facebook Privacy and FTC Settlement

The Washington Post writes a brief Q&A re: Facebook and their privacy policies.

“On Tuesday, Facebook agreed to settle federal charges that it violated users’ privacy by getting people to share more information than they agreed to when they signed up to the site. As part of a settlement, Facebook will allow independent auditors to review its privacy practices for the next twenty years. It also agreed to get approval from users before changing how the company handles their data.”

Hard Times Fall on Phoenix Non-Profit

Listen to this NPR piece on Free Arts in Phoenix. They discuss their music therapy program and the struggle to remain open in tough economic times:

Upcoming Seminar

Staying on the forefront: Art Therapy, the Online Presence and New Technology

Save the date! I’ll be giving a 2 1/2 hour workshop for NorCATA on Sunday January 29th at Fort Mason! Once the sign up information is available, I’ll be posting it here.

Hope to see you there!

Quiet Hands

Check out this creative by the Autistic writer Julia Bascom about abuse, sensory differences and therapy:

“In a classroom of language-impaired kids, the most common phrase is a metaphor.

“Quiet hands!”

A student pushes at a piece of paper, flaps their hands, stacks their fingers against their palm, pokes at a pencil, rubs their palms through their hair. It’s silent, until:

“Quiet hands!”

I’ve yet to meet a student who didn’t instinctively know to pull back and put their hands in their lap at this order. Thanks to applied behavioral analysis, each student learned this phrase in preschool at the latest, hands slapped down and held to a table or at their sides for a count of three until they learned to restrain themselves at the words.

The literal meaning of the words is irrelevant when you’re being abused.”

OCD Tendencies Spawn Creativity

Check out this interview with Stefan Bucher, where he discusses his OCD tendencies and how they’ve contributed to a successful career in design and illustration. Plus he’s giving a TED talk in the near future!

War Toys

Check out this video on how Brian McCarty used toys and photography to describe art therapy sessions he witnessed with Israeli and Palestinian children:

Marketing Guide For Small Businesses

Created by Azzia Zur, this is an affordable marketing guide, covering:

Social media

Email

Websites

Flyers

Business cards

Best practices, and more!

I hope you find this helpful!

Expressive Therapies Summit

From Judy Rubin via LinkedIn:

Dear Friends. Family & Colleagues,

I’m writing to you to let you know about an event in NY that I think is worth your while if you are in or want to visit the area. It’s a 4-day Expressive Therapies Summit with over a hundred presentations, workshops, and courses, on all of the creative arts therapies and related areas.

In addition, this year there is a special all day Symposium on Liberating Creativity through Analysis & the Arts which will end with a special Film Premiere – a $10 ticket buys you a film,. a panel of the artists in it, and a lovely reception.

If you can’t make it or even if you can, please let friends and colleagues know about it. The proceeds from this event will allow our very nonprofit nonprofit, Expressive Media, to continue to make teaching films about the arts in healing.

I hope to see you there!

Judy

HERE’S THE LINK: http://summit.expressivemedia.org/