Who We Are & What We Do

community, vision, purpose…

Our Mission

The International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization (Tax ID: 94 3203797) founded in 1994 to encourage the creative spirit. Our inclusive, culturally diverse organization supports expressive arts therapists, artists, educators, consultants and others using integrative, multimodal arts processes for personal and community growth and transformation.

​The inspired collaboration of our international board of directors nurtures IEATA’s heartfelt and democratic environment. Board members work through a wide array of committees and dedicate countless volunteer hours. Their caring and creative direction provides leadership, strength, and forward movement of expressive arts around the world.

​Worldwide Community​

IEATA is an international network dedicated to bringing the arts into the world for growth, healing, communication, and collaborative learning. IEATA provides a professional guild and an international network, builds and sustains a worldwide community, and offers an open forum for dialogue. We sponsor our Bi-annual International Conference.

​Our website includes a wealth of information about our association and activities, including the option to join and renew membership online. We offer a searchable Member Directory and the IEATA Members Network, our online community, where members can connect with each other in regional groups (see Member Login Page); share images, videos or music; promote upcoming events; or post bulletin board listings such as job opportunities, RFPs, office space rentals, and more. Members receive IEATA’s members-only publications and members-only invitations to submit articles and other work in the language arts for our online Newsletter and our Publications Gallery.

​Professional Excellence

​One of IEATA’s key missions is to promote professional excellence and ethical standards of practice in the field of expressive arts. To this end, IEATA has established an application and registration process for Registered Expressive Arts Therapists (REATs) and Registered Expressive Arts Consultant/Educators (REACEs). These practitioners are guided by an established professional code of ethics, an expression of values and goals that help define our work as a professional community.​

REAT registration is designed for those using the expressive arts in psychotherapy.

REACE registration includes expressive arts consultants and educators using the expressive arts in a broad range of approaches in education, organizational development, health fields and more.

Increase Awareness

IEATA seeks to increase recognition of the use of expressive arts as powerful tools for social, psycho-social, physical, and spiritual wellness. IEATA engages artists, educators, therapists, and facilitators in all aspects of expressive arts practices. Our biennial international Conference attracts more than 300 participants and presenters from around the world. The relationships we cultivate with professional organizations and academic institutions increase global awareness and expansion of the expressive arts.​

International Schools and Social Directories​

IEATA aims to increase the recognition and use of expressive arts as powerful tools for psycho-social, physical, and spiritual wellness. Visit our Educational Resources page for a list of national and international schools and programs in the expressive arts. We constantly review and update our information in an effort to keep up with the ever-changing nature of curricula and institutions. If you know of a program or school that could be added to our listing, please contact the Educational Resources Committee.

Board of Directors:

Executive Board Members

Executive Co-Chairs:​ ecc@ieata.org 
Yousef AlAjarma, PhD, REAT
Janet Rasmussen, PhD

Treasurer: ecc@ieata.org  
Gregg Kerlin, MS

Secretary: 
secretary@ieata.org

Administrative Committees

Administration: admin@ieata.org
Kara Ann Elliot, MA
Kathryn Boland, MA, R-DMT, E-RYT (500) 

Governance: governance@ieata.org
Christina Hampton, MA, LMHC

Membership & Administrative: membership@ieata.org
Amy Morrison, PhD, LMHC, ATR-BC 
Heather Thorp, MSSA, LCSW, REAT

Finance: 
finance@ieata.org

Professional Committees

Artists: artists@ieata.org 
Joana Fins Faria, MA 

Professional Standards: REAT reat@ieata.org
Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT)  
Wendy Phillips, PhD, LMFT, REACE, REAT 
Anin Utigaard, PhD

Professional Standards: REACE reace@ieata.org
Registered Expressive Arts Consultant/Educator (REACE) 
Terri Goslin-Jones, PhD, REACE 
Susan O'Connell, MTP, MTP, REACE

Education and Networking Committees

Educational Resources: resources@ieata.org
Roxanne Daleo, PhD
Martha McCaughey, PhD

Regional: regional@ieata.org 
Graciela Bottini de Barucca, PhD, REAT
Milan Szeto-Rieder, BA, MExArts, AThR
Katrina Plato, PhD, ATR

Student and New Professional: students@ieata.org
Aleck Kwong, MA, AThR
Naomi Kimmelman, MA, AMFT, APCC

Publicity & Outreach Committees

Publications: publications@ieata.org
Roselle P. O'Brien, LMHC, REAT, ICAT, REACE
Natalie Hogge, PLMHC

Public Relations: public-relations@ieata.org
David Eckelcamp, LMHC

Website & Internet: webmaster@ieata.org
Keith Chow, BA, MExArts, AThR

Social Action Committee

Social Action: 
socialaction@ieata.org

Advisory Board Members

Kathleen Horne

Advisory Council

Jack Weller  
Wendy Miller   
Kate Donohue   
Paolo Knill   
Anin Utigaard  
Stephen Levine   
Philip Speiser
Natalie Rogers (extended posthumously)