2016-2017 FSU ATA Officers and a letter from the President

Recently, the FSU student chapter of ATA held their annual elections. Below is a list (taken from the department blog) of the newly elected along with a brief quote from each. A letter from President Elect, Franchesca Lastra Vicente is also included.

President: Franchesca Lastra Vicente

“As the newly elected president, I will continue to uphold the beliefs and values of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) and those of Florida State University. I will extend the knowledge and expertise that I have learned thus far to carry on the legacy of previous FSU ATA presidents, in addition to advocating our program, as well as the profession of Art Therapy. By working alongside my peers and the community I will not only accomplish this, but much more.”

Vice President (First Friday): Rebecca Allen

“Our class is so tight-knit and works so well together. I think we are going to be able to do great things with ATA, and I am excited to work alongside my classmates as VP. I look forward to seeing all that we accomplish and how we will be able to further engage the community through First Friday at Railroad Square.”

Secretary: Carla Clymo

“I look forward to my time as secretary.”

Treasurer: Mia Ulmer

“I am honored to be responsible for a position of this importance.”

Historian: Ashley Beck

“I am excited to document every event that goes on with ATA. I am so happy that Franchesca will be our leader!”

Community Service Coordinators: Kara Morrissey & Olivia Clear

“Representing ATA as a Community Service Coordinator is a privilege, because it allows us to work on minimizing the gap between campus and the community in a positive and meaningful way.” – Kara Morrissey

“I am so excited to uncover some of the various ways that we can engage and serve the broader community to illustrate the service oriented aspects that form the core of our position.” – Olivia Clear

1st/2nd year Liason: Jeanette Bullock

“I am excited to welcome the incoming class!”

Self Care: Casey Barlow

“I am excited to fill the self-care position, and be provided with the opportunity to remind the wonderful individuals in ATA how important it is to provide the same compassion to ourselves that we give to others every day.”

Public Relations Coordinator: Lindsay Bullock

“I am excited to be on PR and help spread the news of the wonderful things our program is doing.”

FATA Liason: Cassandra Szarejko

“As a native Floridian, I am excited to begin connecting with the Florida Art Therapy Association (FATA) and learning more about how the profession is making an impact in the state.”

Fundraising Chairs: Madisen Hansen & Brittany Osborn

“I am excited that the fundraising position will be split into two sections. It is a lot of work and a hard position that comes with a lot of stress. I am glad that myself and Brittany will be in charge of it. We make a good team.” – Madisen Hansen

“As supportive team members, Maddie and I will work together to fundraise enough money so each student has an opportunity to go to the AATA Conference!” – Brittany Osborn

Letter From the President:

I am truly honored and delighted to accept the position of FSU ATA President. At the time that I was deciding to accept this position, I deeply considered the challenges and responsibilities that I would momentarily face. However, I soon realized how important it was for me to take this next step in my life. This position is providing me the opportunity to reach out of my bubble, allowing me to engage with the outer world.

As the newly elected president, I will continue to uphold the beliefs and values of the American Art Therapy Association and those of Florida State University. I will extend the knowledge and expertise that I have learned thus far to carry on the legacy of previous FSU ATA presidents, in addition to advocating our program, as well as the profession of Art Therapy. By working alongside my peers and the community I will not only accomplish this, but much more. 

To my peers, thank you for placing your confidence and trust in me to serve as your President. I look forward to serving as your leader while we work together as a team to represent a group of extraordinary and diverse students. I believe that notable mattersnever accomplished by one person, but rather by a group of individuals. During my time as your president, I will take into account each of your interests and hear any of the issues that we will face during the upcoming year. I am sincerely grateful, for without your love and support this would have not been possible. 

To the art therapy faculty, thank you for offering students the opportunity to be a part of a great organization and providing the necessary support to become successful art therapists. I look forward to building and strengthening the program by leaving a lasting impact at Florida State University. 

To the community, thank you for your continuous support. With the help of my team we will not only listen to your needs, but also respond to those requests in the best way possible through art! I aspire to be involved in a community that will empower strong and healthy individuals who will then lead us to a better world.  

Thank you again for your support and for electing me as your next FSU ATA President.

Sincerely,

Franchesca Lastra Vicente 

FSU ATA President 2016-2017

Congratulations Graduates!

As we begin the Fall 2015 semester, let's congratulate our recent graduates on making it through this challenging and rewarding program! We know you will be great successes wherever you go and can't wait to hear about your accomplishments in the future! Congratulations class of 2015!

July Meeting and Conference Recap

Soon-to-be second years enjoying Minneapolis. 

July has been a busy month for FSU Art Therapy. The 46th annual conference took place in 

Minneapolis, Minnesota this year from July 8th-15th. If you missed the excitement of conference, read on to get the highlights as described by members of FSU ATA. This post will also include a quick recap of the July FSU ATA meeting.

FSU  Art therapy faculty and students were among the many wonderful presentation at this year's conference. Department chair Dr. Dave Gussak, program director Dr. Marcia Rosal, and Dr. Carolyn Brown Treadon all presented as well as PhD. candidate Meredith McMackin and graduating second-year Lorelei Voronin. For more information on their presentations, visit the department website here.

Lorelei Voronin and Alumna Chelsea Plotner.

FSU ATA members who attended conference were kind enough to provide their impressions of the event. The following are their reflections. 

One theme that struck a chord with our members was the importance of self care. Evie Hempler was struck by a presentation made by Anthony Bodlovic titled "Art Making for the Art Therapist:Clinical Insights, Identity, and Self Care." He advocated reflective art making with professional peers as an adjunctive form of supervision, an idea which we hope to incorporate into our professional development here at FSU. 

Olivia Smith and Andi Dangerz both cited Dr. Lisa Hinz' presentation "Expanding the Lens of Art Therapy: Expressive Therapies Continuum and Optimal Health" as particularly interesting. Dr. Hinz described how traversing the levels of the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) in our daily lives can lead to a more balanced life. The ETC also featured in “Neurobiology of Anorexia Nervosa and the Expressive Therapies Continuum” which Olivia Smith attended and found enlightening.

Pioneers of our field...in puppet form.

Second years out on the town.

Graduating second year Megan Welch described the event as an "exciting but exhausting experience"
with a "variety of fantastic presentations, opportunities for networking, and meeting the art therapists who have inspired the work I do/hope to do in the future."

This brief review is of course only a taste of the plethora of presentations and workshops at this year's conference, For those interested in attending next year (this time in Baltimore, Maryland), early perusal of the program is highly recommended! To view the entire program schedule from this year's conference click here.

Art by Megan Welch from a workshop she attended at conference.

From the July meeting:

We are looking forward to welcoming the incoming first years into the fold. First year liaison Sia Ngauja has been working hard to make the transition into graduate school smooth and, dare we say it, fun! We also discussed potential changes to the ATA constitution so be sure to check back to this blog if you wish to review the changes. Also be sure to check back for updates on our continuing relationship with the Florida Art Therapy Association as relayed by Katie Stephenson, our FATA liaison.Additional events on the horizon include self-care events and fundraising opportunities. We will add these events to the FSU ATA calendar so it will soon be easier than ever to keep up with us. 

FSU ATA is also in the process of coming up with a new logo. Entries are welcome and encouraged. Send in your entries in by August 23rd. We are also looking for input as to who we should invite for the 2016 Spring Workshop. 

Be sure to check back here to stay up-to-date with this exciting time in FSU ATA! 

June and July First Friday

Since the swearing in of the new ATA officers First Friday Coordinator Olivia Smith and Fundraising Chair Bobbie Sonner have been hard at work creating exiting community art activities. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words so check out the images below!

June's First Friday featured chalkboard carnival faces. Adults and children alike joined in on the fun and created some amazing artwork.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Our ATA officers worked so hard to make June's First Friday a success. Of course, there's always time for fun! President Evie Hempler makes a fabulous cowgirl while Bobbie and Oliva star in an underwater ballet!

July's First Friday featured Paint Races in which participants competed to blow paint as far as they could. Despite the heat, many people joined in on the fun. This First Friday was made even more exciting by the fact that, thanks to Treasurer Dylan Ruby, we can now accept payment via credit card!

 

 

Thanks to all who came out and made these events such a success!

                                                                   

Art Therapy Pioneer, Dr. Frances Anderson

In March, the department was visited by Dr. Frances Anderson, author of "Art for All the Children" and a pioneer in the field of art therapy. For a review of the lecture, read the department of Art Education's blog.

2015 Spring Workshop

This year's spring workshop was led by Dr. Micheal Franklin. Dr. Franklin is the coordinator of the Art Therapy Program in Transpersonal Counseling Psychotherapy at Naropa University. Read about the workshop at the FSU Department of Art Education blog