Mission Statement

The American Art Therapy Association, Inc. (AATA) is an organization of professionals dedicated to the belief that making art is healing and life enhancing. Its mission is to serve its members and the general public by providing standards of professional competence, and developing and promoting knowledge in, and of, the field of art therapy.

Values Statement

American Art Therapy Association is committed to:

Public service, social justice, and advocacy for the dignity, self-worth, and creative potential of all people.
Diversity and cross-cultural inclusiveness in its membership and in the development and provision of art therapy to the public.
Excellent service, efficient stewardship of assets, and high quality programs for members. 
High ethical standards, and self evaluation of the organization, leadership, and the profession of art therapy. 
To provide leadership and financial and educational support to attract a growing and diverse membership of licensed professional art therapists whose services are valued, appropriately compensated, and considered essential to the public in mental health, healthcare, education, arts, and community programs.

 

American Art Therapy Association STRATEGIC PLAN MATRIX

 

COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
All Committee Chairs

Identify Committee leadership development needs and communicate to Board liaison
Encourage participation on committees, the board, and in AATA initiatives
Mentor service in AATA through committee understudies

AATA/ATCB Task Force

Convene the AATA/ATCB task force to explore the ATR as an entry level credential
Convene AATA/ATCB Task Force to evaluate economic value of the BC and how to promote its value to members

ATR or the BC

Identify the specific needs of AATA as the member of the ATCB and develop inter-organizational policies to ensure those needs are met by the ATCB
Determine the reason for the high number of graduates choosing not to get their certification.
Ensure that AATA Education Standards are enforced, maintain regular, open communication between AATA and ATCB, and revise standards as necessary to maintain equivalency with standards in counseling and other licensure

Advanced Practice Committee (and subcommittees)

Implement distance education as member benefit and revenue source

a. Establish venues for distance learning
b. Implement distance learning plan
c. Develop print-on-demand publications as supplement to distance learning courses.

Identify and create a venue that effectively meets the professional development needs of local and regional chapters
In concert with the ED, Develop public relations, advertising, marketing tools for specific target groups. (e.g. continue to develop media list of national, regional, and local journalists, organizations, and special interest groups; target specific markets, organizations, and special interest groups through press releases highlighting member or Association achievements (such as conferences, symposia, etc)
Explore joint conferences with related professionals, both regionally and nationally
With the Conference Committee, address the need for CECs/CEUs for related professionals at the annual conference

Enhance collaboration between multicultural, distance learning, regional symposia, and CE committees.
Evaluate further development of regional symposia as educational meetings for members

Recruit new presenters

Archives Committee

Continue development of AATA Archives as an appropriately stored and maintained hard copy and electronically accessible education/research resource.
Identify purposes and key constituents that would be served via an electronic archive of publicly disseminated AATA historical and other records

Art Committee

With the ED develop the Association's brand organizational wide engagement plan (with attention to diversity and AATA mission, values, and vision) for print and other media, as well as the conference

CACREP Ad Hoc Committee

Explore possibility of CACREP approval process for art therapy graduate programs

Chapters

In conjunction with GAC, update and continue to implement 2003 Governmental Affairs Committee Plan to include:

a. Promoting use of model legislation

b. Support for state efforts in legislative process (title bills, licensure attempts, etc) Annually review and revise the AATA chapter manual

With Director Development, Director Public Policy and GAC, develop a press packet for use by members and chapters to promote art therapy to the public, legislators, decision-makers, and workplace
Define and further develop chapter benefits – make printout available to Chapter presidents
Identify the top five needs of the chapters that AATA can support through financial resources
With Advanced Practice Committee, identify and create a venue that effectively meets the professional development needs of local and regional chapters

Encourage participation on committees, the board, and in AATA initiatives

Recognize Chapter Distinguished Service awards (when given) through AATA Chapter Meeting and Honors ceremony

Explore dual membership in AATA and chapters as mandatory
Encourage each state chapter to complete one high profile service event in their state. With the Conference Committee, set up at least one community service opportunity at each conference
Assist Research Committee in developing a human data base of art therapists who have networking abilities and are currently in interdisciplinary research facilities, and/or are located in key states and congressional districts
Promote sharing best practices and models for increasing state chapter capacity
Develop a strategic plan to guide AATA/chapter relations, identifying individual and joint responsibilities

CLI Committee

Support strategies to secure funding for PTSD efficacy study
Evaluate the Congressional Line Item initiative as a mechanism for securing Federal funding and as a strategy to attract research grants
Identify alternative funding sources for

CLI initiative to fund initiative or supplement Federal funding (VA, DOD, NIH, NIMH, etc).

Conference Manager, Conference Committee

Continue to manage the annual AATA conference as a member benefit and as a source of revenue

Identify new sources for advertising with a target goal of increasing sales

Develop public relations, advertising, marketing tools for specific target groups. (e.g. continue to develop media list of national, regional, and local journalists, organizations, and special interest groups; target specific markets, organizations, and special interest groups through press releases highlighting member or Association achievements (such as conferences, symposia, etc)
Explore joint conferences with related professionals, both regionally and nationally
Develop AATA branding/image (with attention to diversity and AATA mission, values, and vision) for print and other media, as well as the conference
With ED and Director Development develop AATA branding/image (with attention to diversity and AATA mission, values, and vision) for print and other media, as well as the conference
Address the need for CECs/CEUs for related professionals at the annual conference

Set up at least one community service opportunity at each conference

Education Committee

Participation in planning meetings with ACA, AASCB, NBCC, and other national stakeholders to enhance the relationship between the art therapy profession and the counseling profession

Explore CACREP accreditation as avenue for counseling licensure

a. Determine if CACREP will undertake the development of art therapy standards b. Determine if these standards can be met by art therapy education programs

Ensure that AATA Education Standards are enforced, maintain regular, open communication between AATA and ATCB, and revise standards as necessary to maintain equivalency with standards in counseling and other licensure

With Advanced Practice Committee, evaluate further development of regional symposia as educational meetings for members

EPAB

Update/revise EPAB P&P, Handbook, and Annual Report

Create formal orientation to EPAB process for new Board members

Ensure that AATA Education Standards are enforced, maintain regular, open communication between AATA and ATCB, and revise standards as necessary to maintain equivalency with standards in counseling and other licensure

Develop approval process for new post-master’s programs

Ethics Committee

Executive Director

Finance Committee

GAC

Update and continue to implement 2003 Governmental Affairs Committee Plan to include:

a. Promoting use of model legislation

b. Support for state efforts in legislative process (title bills, licensure attempts, etc

Development of documents and materials to support legislative efforts, influence public policy, and recognition of the profession

With Director, Public Policy, develop a press packet for use by members and chapters to promote art therapy to the public, legislators, decision-makers, and workplace
Foster relationships and collaboration with state and national counseling organizations

Honors Committee

Recognize service and professional achievement by provision of honors and awards

Journal

Develop online sales of journal articles as member benefit and revenue source

Identify new sources for advertising with a target goal of increasing in sales

Identify effective strategies for improving the quality of research submitted to and published in the Journal.

Reinforce the Association's Brand (with attention to diversity and AATA mission, values, and vision) for print and other media, as well as the conference
Establish Journal on-line capabilities, indexing, and research database initiatives

Reinforce the service commitments of art therapists to diversity, social justice, and service learning in AATA printed materials and on its website

Multicultural Committee

Identify diversity in stakeholders and collaborate on strategies to attract interest of public, potential members, and media

1. Multicultural information on the AATA website (bibliography, research, video clips, members)

2. Add multicultural material to the AATA Archives

3. Pearlie Roberson Award

Identify a group interested in doing organizational research on what in the AATA culture is not conducive to diversity
Increase diversity in the AATA through active acknowledgment in mission and values statements and promotional materials

Brochure

Pioneers Video

Encourage participation on committees, the board, and in AATA initiatives

Newsletter

Identify new sources for advertising with a target goal of increasing sales

With Execuctive team manager, provide and improve formal communications about Association news to membership, such as e-newsletters, press releases, website, AATA Newsletter, and other mechanisms
Evaluate, revise, and improve professional content of Quarterly Newsletter through member survey and provide resources to accomplish this
Impliment the Assocation's brand (with attention to diversity and AATA mission, values, and vision) for print and other media, as well as the conference

Reinforce the service commitments of art therapists to diversity, social justice, and service learning in AATA printed materials and on its website

Professional Practice Committee

Executive team:

Create print-on-demand publications and on-demand products as both member benefit and revenue source

Identification and pursuit of 3 national occupational database systems that should include art therapy as a profession (such as National Plan & Provider Enumeration System’s (NPPES)

Pursuit of inclusion of art therapy as a separate profession in state job directories and career databases

Development of documents and materials to support legislative efforts, influence public policy, and recognition of the profession

Develop communications materials for strategic communication with potential sources of research dollars
Provide and improve formal communications about Association news to membership, such as e-newsletters, press releases, website, AATA Newsletter, and other mechanisms (e.g. print-on-demand (POD) publications based on identified member needs, practice specialties, and distance learning supplements; monographs to more efficiently address members’ professional practice queries; creation of AATA “sourcebook” of professional information for new professional members)
Increase the presence of AATA through effective communication and partnerships with other professional organizations
Develop public relations, advertising, marketing tools for specific target groups. (e.g. continue to develop media list of national, regional, and local journalists, organizations, and special interest groups; target specific markets, organizations, and special interest groups through press releases highlighting member or Association achievements (such as conferences, symposia, etc)
Increase diversity in the AATA through active acknowledgment in mission and values statements and promotional materials
Develop a press packet for use by members and chapters to promote art therapy to the public, legislators, decision-makers, and workplace
Promote the Association's brand (with attention to diversity and AATA mission, values, and vision) for print and other media, as well as the conference
With Advanced Practice Committee, develop print-on-demand publications as supplement to distance learning courses.

Reinforce the service commitments of art therapists to diversity, social justice, and service learning in AATA printed materials and on its website

Research Committee

Develop a long-term art therapy research plan

a. Define a research plan to support licensure and title protection

b. Develop a human data base of art therapists who have networking abilities and are currently in interdisciplinary research facilities, and/or are located in key states and congressional districts

Annually encourage art therapy research by calling for submissions for the research awards.
With Multicultural Committee, identify a group interested in doing organizational research on what in the AATA culture is not conducive to diversity

Scholarship Committee

Facilitate art therapy education by supporting students in need with financial awards

Promote fund-raising and encourage donations to existing endowments 

Strategic Planning Committee

Maintain a detailed project matrix to carry out strategic objectives (activity, responsibility, timeline, evaluation process) and monitor monthly progress against objectives 

Develop a strategic plan to guide AATA/chapter relations, identifying individual and joint responsibilities
Create venues such as town meetings to engage membership in AATA strategic planning process, effective communication, leadership accountability, and increased involvement of stakeholders

Information Programs Management

With Executive Team, provide and improve formal communications about Association news to membership, such as e-newsletters, press releases, website, Quarterly Newsletter, and other mechanisms
Evaluate, revise, and improve professional content of AATA Website
In collaboration with the Executive Team, develop and implement the Associations brand/image for print and other media, as well as the conference
Re-align the Art Therapist Locator

Reinforce the service commitments of art therapists to diversity, social justice, and service learning in AATA printed materials and on its website.