Occupy Art Therapy Action #1: Letter to AATA

Action #1

Letter to AATA

This is an action for those people dissatisfied with the actions of the American Art Therapy Association.

Not everyone involved in this movement may feel this way, and so there is no mandate to participate. Do what feels right for you.

With that said, there are a growing number of people who feel so strongly that AATA is not doing its job that they have stopped paying their dues and are no longer members. For those who are already doing this or are interested in making a statement either as members or as boycotters, a group of us penned a letter to send to AATA. I have posted it below. Feel free to copy and paste it to AATA as it is or alter it to fit your own thoughts on the matter.

To those at the American Art Therapy Association,

  I will not be renewing my membership with your association. I believe that AATA is no longer doing its job for the profession of Art Therapy, and until I see changes I cannot in good faith support it. I have listed below the changes that I believe AATA must make to regain its position as an advocate for Art Therapy:

AATA must:

* Maintain loyalty to the terms Art Therapist and Art Therapy by promoting the profession as singular and with its own license in every state, and not subsumed under counseling or activity therapies.

* Show further loyalty to the Art Therapy profession and its hard-earned standards by working for Art Therapy to gain its own category on O*NET rather than be a subcategory of Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy.

* Provide full advocacy in Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance reimbursements for licensed/credentialed art therapists. This must go further than a document suggesting how individuals might do so (re: GUIDELINES FOR INSURERS: ART THERAPY SERVICES & REIMBURSEMENT CLAIMS DETERMINATIONS” 10/26/11). This must include a Reimbursement Committee dedicated to insuring reimbursement on a federal level for Medicaid and other national insurers. Finally, it must result in Art Therapists actually being reimbursed through Medicaid for Art Therapy services. Include a list of Art Therapists who are reimbursed by Medicaid or Medicare under ONLY an Art Therapist license or credential.

*Have more specific goals for the profession that are being communicated consistently to the government. That message should also be standardized for those who want to contact legislators so that the profession, through individual members as well as the Association, is communicating consistent and clear ideas.

*Support, through greater promotion and financing, the increase in evidence-based art therapy research.  This is key to increasing the strength and value of art therapy as its own profession.

* Provide proof of advocacy in general for higher pay of art therapists working within agencies, hospitals, and other mental health organizations. AATA should provide at least one person on staff who could be called upon to advocate for art therapists in the workplace. This support would be provided gratis for AATA members.

* Provide an art therapy-specific, AATA-run job board within the AATA website.

* Maintain 100% transparency with its membership.

Until I see that AATA is willing to put actions behind its claims, I will not support it with my money. If another association is created that does act upon the above-stated requests, I will support that association wholeheartedly.

Most Sincerely,