An Intersectional Framework for Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality in Art Therapy

This article calls for an examination of identity and difference from a sociocultural perspective in art therapy theory and practice. Identity markers such as race, class, gender, and sexuality have tended to be seen in isolation and in ways that hamper the ability to understand and theorize difference. In constructing knowledge and in advancing more effective practices, art therapists need to examine identity and difference not only from a psychological perspective, but also from social and cultural ones. An intersectional framework that demands self-reflexivity is presented as important to research, scholarship, organizational policy making, and theorizing that shapes art therapy practice.