This document summarizes a presentation on art therapy ethics given at a 2015 symposium. The presentation asks participants to consider whether current art therapy ethics documents accurately address contemporary issues, such as changing definitions of art therapy training, social media, and the field's international scope. Attendees are divided into groups to discuss different sections of the American Art Therapy Association's ethics code and consider related topics like social media's role and how the field can better serve its international membership. The goal is to engage participants in actively evaluating the field's ethics.

1. +
The Ethics and Art Therapy: How Do Art Therapy Ethics
Measure Up? You Decide!
2015 Buckeye Art Therapy Association Symposium, Columbus OH
Presented by:
Cathy Malchiodi, PhD, LPAT, LPCC, ATR-BC, REAT, HLM/AATA
Donald Cutcher, MA, ATR-BC, HLM/BATA

2. +
What are the current art therapy ethical issues?
Do current art therapy ethics documents
accurately reflect contemporary issues in
ethics?
…or are you ready for a nap?

3. + SURPRISE! We are calling on you to decide for
yourself today.
Form a group of 4 to 5 people.
Each group will have one section of the current
AATA Ethics Document to read and discuss…

4. + SURPRISE! We
are calling on
you to decide for
yourself today.
Form a group of
4 to 5 people.
Each group will
have one section
of the current
AATA Ethics
Document to
read and
discuss…

5. + Some things to
consider…
1) The changing
definition of “art therapy
education/training”
[counseling, social
action, community arts,
etc];
2) Social media;
3) International impact
[national organization is
“American,” yet
membership is also
international and AATA
emphasizes “culture.”

6. +HERE ARE THE CURRENT SECTIONS…
ETHICAL PRINCIPLES FOR ART THERAPISTS
 1.0 RESPONSIBILITY TO CLIENTS
 2.0 CONFIDENTIALITY
 3.0 ASSESSMENT METHODS
 4.0 CLIENT ARTWORK
 5.0 EXHIBITION OF CLIENT ARTWORK
 6.0 PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE AND INTEGRITY
 7.0 MULTICULTURAL AND DIVERSITY COMPETENCE
 8.0 RESPONSIBILITY TO ART THERAPY STUDENTS AND
SUPERVISEES
 9.0 RESPONSIBILITY TO RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

7. +PART TWO…
ETHICAL PRINCIPLES FOR ART THERAPISTS
 10. RESPONSIBILITY TO THE PROFESSION
 11.0 FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS
 12.0 ADVERTISING
 13.0 INDEPENDENT PRACTITIONER
 14.0 INITIAL AND ENDING PHASES IN ART THERAPY
 15.0 PROFESSIONAL USE OF THE INTERNET, SOCIAL
NETWORKING SITES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC OR DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY
 16.0 CONDUCTING ART THERAPY BY ELECTRONIC MEANS
 17.0 ABIDING BY THE ETHICAL PRINCIPLES FOR ART
THERAPISTS

8. +Some References…
 Psychiatrists and Facebook: A Case of TMI for Patients
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/when-psych
 Newsletter, Summer 2015, Art Therapy Credentials Board
http://www.atcb.org
 Art Therapy Meets Digital Art and Social Media
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-healing-arts/200911/art-the

9. +
Questions & More Questions…
…and thank you for attending our presentation!
[because we know how boring ethics can be].

10. +
Questions & More Questions…
…and thank you for attending our presentation!
[because we know how boring ethics can be].