We've missed you!

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Just a quick update.  We are working very hard to finish up our fall semester!  We had a final exam today and life has been super busy since the conference.  Soon we'll be able to take a breath, enjoy some soothing tea and revisit this blog!  We'll be back with more posts and great information (and hopefully the video of our presentation for your viewing!) very soon.  Thanks for checking in.

Many blessings,
Chelsea & Donica

Laptops & Twitter & Blogs, oh my!

 

The presentation is over and it was very well received.  Thank you to all of the folks that came to learn about art therapy and technology (and the folks who stayed for an extra 40 minutes to engage in dialogue!).  

Some highlights for us:

* 3 board members from the American Art Therapy Association were in attendance 

* There was talk about continuing the conversation around technology and ethical concerns in committee or collaborating for future articles

* We made contact with students from the Art Institute of Chicago who were interested in similar research and trends (and we attended their fabulous presentation on reflexivity and intersectional frameworks for race, class, gender, and sexuality  in art therapy in art therapy)

* We met two lovely ladies from the blogosphere: Spiffy Waifer and Elizabeth Beck

After taking a deep breath in celebration and debriefing, we are excited to see this as the beginning of many things to come.  The message we got from the audience was, "We need your generation to start making some moves" ... and we want to take on that challenge!  It is clear that the role of technology in therapy is unclear and new developments need to be closely monitored and understood before implemented.  We are very interested in exploring this work further, looking into ethics, legality, and guidelines for art therapy professionals.  Exciting stuff!

Thanks again for all of the support!

AATA Conference Highlights: Our Top 5

We made it! Check it out...

Do No Harm

"With the advent of the digital age, we are now also forced to address new and unforeseen ethical questions in using computer technology, electronic mail, the internet, and the impact of the growing field of "telehealth" on the practice of art therapy and the transmission of images" (Malchiodi, 200)

Ethics is a continual practice to ensure that we do no harm to our clients. It is important to consider the impact of how we use technology and the world wide web.

• Utilize tools appropriately. Technology applications and the internet are no different from traditional art medium. Be familiar with it's qualities and navigate it's challenges. You must know the material before you can offer it to a client (Rubin 1984). 

• Treat the internet as a community studio space. There are another artists around. They can see your work and witness your process.

• What's really confidential on the internet? Assume the answer is nothing. Uploads are forever in cyberspace. Make sure clients understand this. 

• Blogs are awesome, and they are accessible to anyone. Inspirations and opinions are just that: inspirations and opinions. Guide your client in the practice of taking what fits, and letting the rest just be. And always, if medical advice is needed or there is an emergency make sure clients know who to contact. 

• Model Internet Etiquette

Suggested Readings
Ethical Issues in Art Therapy by Bruce L. Moon
A Facebook Fan Page for Your Private Practice? by Cathy Malchiodi

Let the countdown begin!

We will be on a plane to Sacramento on Wednesday evening!  Are you attending the American Art Therapy Association conference this weekend?  Let us know if we should keep an eye out for you on Saturday when we present "Laptops & Twitter & Blogs, Oh my!" 

We'll be posting pictures, updates and possibly videos documenting our travels and AATA conference experience on the blog throughout week so don't forget to keep checking in!  We'll see you in Cali!

xoxo,
Chelsea & Donica