Ethical Considerations in Art Therapy

:Art therapists, counsellors, and mental health professionals who utilize arts-based interventions encounter many, sometimes unexpected, ethical issues (Moon, 2000). Because it is crucial that these professionals enter into an open dialogue about potential ethical dilemmas, this article discusses several areas that have unique implications in the art therapy field (the therapeutic space and art materials, the rights of artwork, the use of art techniques by other professionals, and art therapy research). In doing so, it references the ethical codes of the two national art therapy associations in North America - the Canadian Art Therapy Association’s (CATA) Standards of Practice and the American Art Therapy Association’s (AATA, 2011) Ethical Principles for Art Therapists. Where possible, it considers the larger community of mental health professionals by referencing the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association’s (CCPA, 2007) Code of Ethics. Future directions are discussed.