Growing
Together

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Call for papers

“The tree is more than first a seed, then a stem, then a living trunk, and then dead timber. 
The tree is a slow, enduring force straining to win the sky."
(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

Imagine that EFAT is a tree – young but with deep historical roots. It is a solid base for art therapists working together to strengthen the core of art therapy in Europe.  Continually growing, strengthening its trunk, it is expanding the branches on which new leaves grow, flowers blossom and fruits ripen.  Like tree branches, art therapy has branched out to work with different populations, settings and situations. New methods, knowledge and outcomes are its fruits and flowers. The earth in which this tree is growing has changed radically in the past two years, with pandemic, war and economic crisis. We will be dealing with the continuing social issues of war, poverty and unrest for a long time.  With the help of EFAT, art therapists have received professional support, and it has made our tree sturdier as well as more flexible and diverse, using our inherent creativity to adjust to online work, community needs and professional insecurity.

What do we have in common? What can we learn from each other and how can we support each other? What is central to art therapy in Europe at this point in time? What new leaves, roots and fruits are we generating?
This conference aims to promote a context where evolving art therapy research, practices, projects, methods, theory, philosophy and ethics can be presented and shared.

Therefore, we are inviting you to propose what “Growing * Together” means to you as an art therapist, namely:

• for EFAT as an organisation:
  in regards to belonging and developing as a professional community, creating common values and new identities in light of social changes and cross-cultural influences
• for art therapy as a profession:
  in regards to bridging philosophical divides, to developing innovative theoretical and methodical approaches, in relation to shifting ecological and societal contexts, and for developing our research
• and in the art therapy process:
  in regards to growth, of both the client/patient and the art therapist, within the individual or group/couples/family therapy relationship, but also in/through supervision, concerning aspects such as resonance, co-creation and co-production ...

We encourage you to start gathering the fruits that these difficult past two years have given us and turn this gained knowledge into content for our next encounter at the conference. Save the date - we shall  soon post details about paper and workshop formats together with the online submission form!

We accept the following paper, workshop and other formats:

​Instructions

Posters

• 5-10' presentation with +/- 5-10' Q&A = a total 15' slot ---- (Poster dimensions:  DIN A0=  84,1 x 118,9 cm)

Papers 

• 20’ (+10’ for setup and Q&A)  = 30’ slot, 
• 30’ (+15’for setup and Q&A),  = 45’ slot,
• 45’ (+15’ for setup and Q&A)  = 60’ slot

Keynote proposals

•  60' (+ time for intro and outro/Q&A) 

Dialogical / dialectical duo papers to be presented by 2 speakers in sequence or in alternation, preferably on contrasting viewpoints or different perspectives/aspects about a given topic: 

• 2 x 20’ + 20’ Q&A = 60’ total 
• 2 x 30’ + 30’ Q&A = 90’ total, or 
• 2 x 45’ + 30’ Q&A = 2 hrs total

​Panel discussion proposals:

• Several input papers of 10-15’ about a specific topic, minimum 3, maximum 4-5 in one session, to be proposed by a speaker collective

Workshops

• 1,5 hr and 2 hr workshops
• Half-day workshops of 3, 3.5 or 4 hrs (incl. a 30’ break)
• Full-day workshops/seminars/masterclasses of 6-8 hrs (incl. two 30’ breaks but without counting the lunch break, i.e. 3-4 hrs in the morning + 3-4 hrs in the afternoon)

Discussion groups around a specific topic led by a (group of) facilitator(s) who introduce the subject - please describe the rationale and structure in your abstract

• 1,5 hrs
• 2 hrs ​

Interactive art projects, happenings, performances … Get creative !

Submission form for 1-2 presenters

Submission for collectives

Please read the Call for papers carefully to situate your proposal in relation to one of the three main themes of the conference topic. Decide if you want to present alone, with a partner or in a collective group. Please use the respective submission forms (for 1-2 speakers and for 3-5 speakers) !

Before completing the submission form make sure to have the following items ready:

• an abstract of min.1000, max. 5000 characters (= appr. 200-1000 words)
• 3-5 keywords
• and, the case being, a list of required art materials  
• your short biography (max. 1000 characters)
  
  

In case of a presenting duo or a collective make sure you have 

• the personal information and the short biography for ALL of the presenters at hand

In the case of a panel proposal, please make sure to also have 

• the title of the panel, the abstract and the keywords ready 

plus

• the titles and short summaries for all input papers!

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Proposals will be scored by blind review teams, composed of three reviewers each, according to the following criteria:

1. Relevance of the subject matter to one of the defined thematic tracks and  the overall conference theme
2. Quality of the proposal, according to
   • Clarity and structure of the proposal (re: comprehensibility, logic)
   • Accuracy of presentation (re: theory and/or methodology
   • Strength of argumentation (re: author’s demonstration of experience and knowledge, and the use of bibliographical references)
3. Originality and innovation (re: theoretical frameworks, approach, methods and/or techniques, interest for the audience)

Proposals will be selected based on the cumulative average review score and the programme fit. They will be grouped according to the three main theme tracks as well as according to shared interests, e.g. by population, approach, theme ... to further interaction among the presenters and the audience.

EFAT aims to organize a bi-annual art therapy conference in a different European country every other year. In 2021 we held an online conference for the postponed 2020 event and have since decided to adopt a 2021-2023-2025 ... pace.