Written by: Claire Slak, LPC. (originally written 03/15/23)

The first National Women’s Day was celebrated across the nation in March of 1911. This celebration was born out of the coming together of women in the first wave of feminism, radical ideologies, and expansion in the United States. National Women’s Day has gone on to be known as a celebration of unity, reflection, and advocacy for women as we continue to move forward towards equal rights. March has also marked the observation of Women’s History Month in the United States since 1987. It has served to celebrate the contributions of and recognize the specific achievements of women in American history over a wide variety of important areas. Throughout history, women have played a vital role in enriching our society through ensuring women’s suffrage, maintaining the economy during the second World War, leading the fields of education, nursing, and social services, and in many other capacities.

One such important area women have made notable contributions to is the hybrid field of art therapy, which is near and dear to my heart. Art therapy is governed by combined aspects of the disciplines of art and psychology. A trained art therapist helps individuals explore emotions, develop self awareness and self esteem, and aims to help people more deeply understand and move through conflict through the use of the creative process. Self-expression, conflict resolution, diagnosis, and group processing are a few areas of psychology that have been enriched by the use of art. This versatile modality can be used as “art therapy” or “art as therapy”.

Margaret Naumburg is known as the “mother of art therapy” and is recognized as a primary founder of the American Art Therapy Movement. Her work with art therapy was influenced by psychoanalytic theory. She utilized it as a means of discovering unconscious thoughts and emotions. She believed the symbolic expression of a person’s state of mind, once combined with the cognitive experience, would lead to a place of healing. Naumburg has written many influential works on the field of art therapy, which are still used and referenced as original sources of art therapy literature. These works are an instrumental part of the education process required to become a registered art therapist.

Two other distinguished contributors to the field of art therapy are Florence Cane and Edith Kramer. These women, particularly Kramer, pioneered “art as therapy” with the emphasis falling heavily on the process-oriented approach to therapy. Cane was an art educator who encouraged free artistic expression amongst her students to allow for emotional creativity and understanding. She believed art allowed the maker to integrate self and the realization of one’s own potential to further overall wellness. Florence Cane was also Margaret Naumburg’s elder sister, demonstrating the power of differing opinions working in tandem to afford growth in multiple directions. Similarly, Kramer also focused on the importance of supporting the individual to develop identity and self esteem. Kramer often worked with children and people with different limitations that impacted their ability to create. As a result, she took on the role of helping the creative process move forward without being intrusive or distorting ideas, meaning, or preferences of the client. This became known as the “Third Hand” approach, which is still taught and utilized today. Kramer herself is the founder of the graduate program for art therapy at New York University where students can learn to follow in her footsteps of employing artistic competence in the empathic service of others.

These and many other women have greatly contributed to the field of art therapy, as well as psychology over the last century. Their work has helped to make possible the ongoing provision of mental health care for people across the globe. In honor of Women’s History Month, I encourage you to learn more about the women behind the scenes and pioneering the areas of interest or passion in your life!