AATA Represented at the American Counseling Association Conference in Montréal, Québec

MONTRÉAL, Québec, April 15, 2016 /3BL Media/ — From March 31 to April 3, 2016, AATA President Dr. Donna Betts, ATR-BC, had the honor of representing the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) during the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) joint conference.

Along with 3,500 attendees, I enjoyed the diverse array of conference offerings. I was the ACA's guest at Division and Leadership receptions, which enabled me to network with key representatives of the counseling profession. I interacted with dozens of counselors, creative arts therapists, and helping professionals. Each encounter provided an opportunity for productive discussions about the role of the arts in counseling, as distinguished from the art therapy profession, and the unique contributions of counselors and credentialed art therapists to the individuals and communities that need access to services from across the spectrum of the helping professions.

AATA Past-President Dr. Mercedes Ballbe ter Maat, LPC, ATR-BC, shared ethically responsible and culturally sensitive ways of using art in the practice of counseling for non-art therapists during her session, The Power of Art in the Treatment of Those Affected by Domestic Violence. Of the experience, she later remarked: "The presentation was well received by those who attended. It was good to see that although some counselors are using art in their practice, they want to learn more about appropriate ways of consulting with art therapists to ensure that the art process and product are facilitated in a clinically responsible way."

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