Emerging Perspectives in Art Therapy (PDF)

Richard Carolan, Ed.D., ATR-BC, is a Board-Certified Art Therapist and a Licensed Psychologist. He designed, developed, and currently serves as the director of the Ph.D. in Art Therapy at Notre Dame de Namur University. He has over 25 years of experience as an educator in Art Therapy Psychology and 35 years of clinical experience in working primarily with adolescents, adults, and families. Dr. Carolan has a private practice in Northern California and is the training director for Art Therapy/MFT interns in the San Mateo School District in Northern California. He is the 2014 recipient of the Educator of the Year Award from AATA and the Keller TeachingAward from Notre Dame de Namur University. His areas of professional interest and inquiry include addiction, psychological recovery, and intentional living.

Amy Backos, Ph.D., ATR-BC, is a Board Certified Art Therapist, Licensed Psychologist, and Chair of Graduate Art Therapy Psychology at Notre Dame de Namur University located in the San Francisco Bay Area. She serves as a member of the AATA Research Committee and of the Editorial Board of Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association. In addition to teaching in the MA and Ph.D. Art Therapy programs, she is Chair of the Internal Review Board at Notre Dame. She teaches art therapy in Nicaragua, works as a consultant to international businesses, and provides art therapy at a residential substance abuse treatment facility. Her clinical work includes 20 years with children, teens, and adults who experienced sexual assault and intimate partner violence, combat trauma, and substance abuse disorders. Additionally, Dr. Backos has six years of experience with the Veteran's Affairs Hospital providing evidence-based treatments and art therapy for veterans with PTSD, as well as working as a research associate conducting research on PTSD with Vietnam and Iraq veterans.