Become a part of shaping the European Art Therapy Landscape! We are looking for speakers/presenters for EFAT's 1st Conference.

Call for papers!

Places, Spaces and Time - Shaping the European Art Therapy Landscape
30th April - 2nd May 2020 in Riga, Latvia​

‘Places, Spaces and Time - Shaping the European Art Therapy Landscape’ is primarily an invitation to Art Therapists from all over Europe to meet and join for imagining, creating, thinking and sharing together. EFAT literally provides the place, space, and time for telling and listening, for exchanging and networking in paper/poster presentations, workshops, art projects, round tables etc., and means to put the participants at the centre of the (attr)action!
It is also about the questions which arise from the theme in relation to art therapy. What about place(s), space(s) and time in Art Therapy? We invite you to explore the different dimensions of the field, such as:
  • the different meanings, uses, definitions of place, space and time in a session; 
  • different approaches, understandings, and applications of AT;
  • historical influences, developments (time) and/or local traditions (place) that shape art therapy practices in different cultural contexts (space), f.ex. the impact which cultural style has on the setting, the place of the art work in the encounter and on (relational) boundaries; 
  • which place, space and time do art therapists occupy in the (mental) health/ psychotherapy “scene” or in society?
  • what is a person’s/ group’s therapeutic experience during a specified period, in a particular space or on a particular occasion?
  • ... ​
In addition we have selected special thematic tracks from our recent survey, according to high demand:
  • Art therapy with children/ adolescents
  • Art therapy with displaced persons/ refugees
  • Art therapy with persons suffering from medical/ physical conditions (f.ex. cancer, multiple sclerosis, ...)

  • Art therapy in private practice
  • Art therapy in school/ educational settings
  • Community based art therapy (streetwork, client’s home, museum/galleries….)

  • Art therapy with groups: focus on the exploration of different models
  • Mentalisation in art therapy

  • Art therapy supervision in theory and practice

  • Research in Art Therapy: 
    • Presentation of recent/ current studies/ projects
    • Presentation of research models/ methodologies
    • Researchers' corner: Specific research topics/ issues

Papers and/or workshops of the same field of interest will be grouped together to set up thematic tracks with round table discussions and/or panels/ debates. Interaction between presenters and the audience is preferred.
In this sense, the presenters, workshop facilitators, and the participants are welcome to shape the sessions formats of the conference: In addition to traditional presentations, posters and workshops, we encourage round tables and thematic tracks with mixed formats, f. ex. with short introductions or questions from various presenters, as well as dialogical meetings/ encounters/ debates between different points of views. 

We expect:
  • short input papers which formulate a statement/ hypothesis or one or more specific questions (“What I always wanted to know but never dared to ask…”-style questions, “Something I have been thinking about”, … ); 
  • classical paper presentations which elaborate on a theoretical or methodical aspect of the topic or an experience; 
  • experiential workshops which allow to further explore a topic;
  • half-day and full-day workshops which combine theory and practical experience; 
  • dialogical presentations, in sequence or alternating, which juxtapose different viewpoints on the same topic (maybe you already have a “sparring partner” in mind?);
  • proposals for performances; 
  • ideas for collective art projects;
  • but you may also propose a different format !
​
Formal requirements:
Abstracts must be submitted in English.  Abstracts for presentations and workshop formats should be no less than 1000 characters (for short input papers and/or questions, art projects and performances) and no more than 5000 characters (for longer formats). Please give a clear description of the focus of your proposal!
If selected, the abstracts and the author’s information shall go into the conference program and therefore should be fit for publishing.

All proposals will be submitted to a blind review by members of EFAT’s Professional Development Committee. The selection criteria are:
  • Relevance of the subject matter to the conference theme and/or one of the defined thematic tracks
  • Shared interests e.g. by population, approach, theme ... (presentations and workshops on the same field of interest will be grouped together to further interaction among the presenters and the audience)
  • Evidence of knowledge and skill in the field
  • Originality
  • Innovative format / way of presenting
  • Diversity

The deadline for submissions is 31st October 2019, at midnight Central European Time.

! Presenters will receive 10% discount on EFAT's Conference fee or 35% discount if you are/become a full member of EFAT or 20% for affiliate members. 
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