President's Message

Amanda Gee (BFA, RCAT, RP)
Toronto, ON

Happy New Year to all of our readers! What a year it has been! I looked back on the president’s message from one year ago and at that point the pandemic hadn’t been declared and we were business as usual. A lot sure has changed since then.

Looking back we were able to adapt and move our annual conference to a virtual platform. It was a lot of hard work but it was also a huge success. It was great to still be able to come together to share and to learn. It certainly wasn’t the same as in person but we made it work. One huge benefit was the far reach and accessibility of this conference — people were able to attend, and to present, from all over the world without the barrier of travel.

Looking forward we are excited about the upcoming workshops on anti-oppression, anti-racism and decolonizing practices in creative therapies. These workshops are being hosted by CATA-ACAT and will be facilitated by Virginia Jahyu.

I am forever grateful for the work being done by our dedicated volunteers on the board of directors, on committees and on special projects to raise the standards and advance to profession of art therapy in Canada and globally. Thank you for all that you do!

As we continue on in 2021, and in this ongoing pandemic, I want to remind you to take care of yourselves too. Make space for your own self-care and creative expression. As therapists our energy goes into the wellbeing of others but we can’t forget about our own wellbeing in the process. I have been trying to remind myself to make space for art making in my own practice of self-care. I will leave you with two small pieces I made recently in this cold winter in Toronto. Some flowers to brighten the day.