Canada and the United States celebrate Creative Arts Therapy Week (CATs Week) every third week of March. This year it is being observed from March 17-23, 2025.
Creative arts therapy strives to educate people about the value and usefulness of creative arts therapies, such as art therapy, music therapy, dance/movement therapy, etc.
What is Creative Arts Therapy?
Creative arts therapy helps people to express themselves through colour, imagery and other such creative expressions. It helps people to understand and explore themselves through psychotherapy, therapeutic processes, etc., so that they can express themselves in ways that are usually not possible to communicate.
Creative arts therapists are well-trained mental health professionals. They use artistic expressions to help people in living a healthy life. Each subfield within the arts therapy is regulated according to its scope of practice.
To work as an art therapist in Canada, one needs to qualify certain minimum requirements. For instance, an art therapist needs to have a master’s level diploma or degree, including supervised clinical practicum hours.
These requirements are put in place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of clients and ensure standardisation in the country.
Why is Creative Arts Therapy Week Observed?
The Creative Arts Therapy Week is all about spreading awareness about healing and helping people through various art forms. Art therapists work with different art forms, but their goal is to bring people back to life and make them a valuable asset for the society.
During this week, creative arts associations arrange special events like seminars, visits, and other such connecting arrangements. This not only brings government and private sector stakeholders to one place but also creates new links to help each other to reach a shared goal.
Universities and colleges also play an important role as they arrange workshops and seminars and provide their platforms to creative arts organisations. Such arrangements help both arts therapy associations and universities in creating new links for mutual benefits.
Creative arts therapy professionals also talk about family trauma, suicide and other such important topics during such gatherings.
How and Where Do Creative Art Therapists Work?
Creative art therapists are playing an important role in the society. They are currently working to address the important social issues, such as campaigns against suicide, Alzheimer’s treatment, substance abuse, breast cancer treatment, etc.
Art therapists also closely work with people who are going through different treatments. They also help in rehabilitation so that people can restart their lives and contribute to society.
Creative art therapists work in correctional residences, disaster relief centres, drug abuse and alcohol programmes, early intervention programmes, psychiatric units and hospitals, wellness centres, community mental health centres, etc.
Conclusion
Helping people to regain their earlier energies and helping them to live an active life is quite a skill.
Learning and exploring your strengths through the arts has been a skill for centuries. With modern scientific knowledge, we have more tools at our disposal to help people in discovering and rediscovering their strengths through different artistic forms.
Creative Arts Therapy Week provides us an excellent opportunity to learn what crucial role art therapists play and how individuals like us can play a helpful role in society.
Join the Applied Arts Illustration Diploma at Edison College
If you are interested in learning about applied arts, then Edison College can help you, as it offers a one-year diploma in Applied Arts Illustration.
This unique programme accommodates analogue and digital techniques to help students in developing their own unique style and work. Students also learn how to market their work and thrive in the illustration industry.
At the end of this one-year Applied Arts Illustration diploma, students will be able to:
- Able to communicate that illustration is a technical rendering process as well as a conceptual process.
- Develop the ability to take risks, innovate, and experiment with materials and substrates.
- Identify some of the myriad fields that illustration is connected to, including picture book art, sequential art, visual development art, editorial art, and alternative practices.
- Demonstrate not only artistry but also critical thinking, networking, maintaining a healthy work-life balance, and developing steadfast business practices.
If you are interested in learning about an illustration career in Canada, then this complete guide on Applied Arts Illustration will definitely guide you more.
If you have questions or concerns, you can contact us today to learn more about this program.
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