Cynthia Woodroof of the American Art Therapy Association on the Benefits and Challenges of Growing a New(ish) Field

Through the Noise #139

Cynthia Woodruff // Executive Director // American Art Therapy Association

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Today’s guest is Cynthia Woodroof of the American Art Therapy Association that works to support the young but fast-growing field of art therapy. Engaged in lobbying, outreach, and education, the staff of AATA is dedicated to making art therapy not only known, but also accessible to people around the country who require mental health support. Many people assume that anything involving art – including the recent trend of adult coloring books – can be considered art therapy, but in order to qualify, one must work with a therapist who also has a masters in art therapy from one of forty different master’s programs around the country. Don’t miss this episode if you’d like to learn more about this revolutionary approach to treating mental health.

Cynthia spent first half of her professional journey working for major media networks and decided to give up the corporate world in 2007 to pursue a more personally rewarding career in non-profit. She is currently the Executive Director of the American Art Therapy Association, a 5000 member associations that is the leading voice for art therapy in the US.

For your audience that may not be aware, Art Therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its primary mode of communication commonly practiced in clinical settings with veterans, children, seniors, etc.