Kirstin Auer, Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling (MAATC) student, will be presenting, along with art therapist Ellie Nicol, at the 50th Annual American Art Therapy Association Annual Conference (AATA) in Kansas City, Missouri on November 2, 2019.
The American Art Therapy Association Annual Conference gives students and professional art therapist opportunities to learn from nationally recognized speakers, meet and network with leading art therapists, attend exceptional education sessions, expand their knowledge, and earn continuing education.
Kirstin and Ellie will be presenting on their art therapy work in Bolivia. Kirstin organized this trip in August of 2017. The group, supervised by Ellie Nicol included other MAATC students, Mary Baker, Alexis Castriotta, Francesca Siano, Mary Nell Donahue, Reyna Zascirinskis, and Christina Mount.
The group provided art therapy services for children and young adults with special needs at an equestrian therapy center, a community run nursery, caretakers and family members from the nursery, and others in the Up Close Bolivia community. Additionally, the group facilitated two murals with help from the community.
Up Close Bolivia is located outside of La Paz, Bolivia and is based on “reciprocidad” which translates to “reciprocity”- a concept at the heart of Andean culture. It is all about giving back and contributing in a way which equally enriches both the person who is giving and the person who is receiving. As such, the essence of the students’ work is to ensure that the needs and expectations of volunteers, visitors, and the local communities are mutually met and that all parties are enriched and strengthened.
About the Author
Katrina Casey ’21 is a graduate student of the Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling Program at Albertus Magnus College and currently works as a graduate assistant for the program.