GW Graduate Art Therapy Program

GW Graduate Art Therapy Program Graduate Art Therapy Program at The George Washington University

Since the dawn of human consciousness, people have created art to communicate personal and universal concepts. Art therapy as a profession combines art making with psychological concepts in order to access an individual or group's internal resources that can then aid in healing the mind and body, and even the community. The graduate program in art therapy, established at The George Washington Univ

ersity in 1971, was one of the first to be developed in the United States and to receive approval from the American Art Therapy Association. Our philosophy has been influenced by the teachings of the founders of art therapy who have been associated with the development of our program—Edith Kramer, Hanna Yaxa Kwiatkowska, Bernard Levy and Elinor Ulman. We believe the art therapist's unique competence lies in the capacity to use art therapeutically, to offer people the experience of making art and the opportunity to gain the insights that may come through this kind of endeavor. While the art therapist works in varied settings and serves a myriad of populations, we believe that art therapy must maintain a firm base in the visual arts. The expressive use of drawing, painting and sculpture is the heart of the Art Therapy program at GW.

Congratulations to the class of 2026!🎓💙💛💙🎓
05/15/2026

Congratulations to the class of 2026!
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Associate Professor Jordan Potash and students Fiorella Boschetti Tamayo and Rebecca “Becca” Steynberg demonstrated “T...
04/30/2026

Associate Professor Jordan Potash and students Fiorella Boschetti Tamayo and Rebecca “Becca” Steynberg demonstrated “The Art and Science of Managing Stress” at this year’s GW InnovationFest to showcase “creativity, cutting-edge research, unique collaborations, interdisciplinary exploration, and entrepreneurial problem-solving” ( ). Over the 4 hours, they interacted with over 150 people by sharing a zine designed from art therapy practice-based research - and several people sat down to begin filling the pages at the booth. As a bonus, Fiorella and Becca got to re-share their assessment research from the CCAS Research Showcase with participants including Associate Dean for Research Evie Downie (pictured) and incoming Provost Edward J. Balleisen.
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They were also joined by alumna Nicky Sullivan, art therapist at SPARC, who was at the next booth demonstrating the AI art making research for adults living with disabilities. That project received a mention in the current issue of GW Research Magazine under “AI Bits: A selection of AI research and scholarship highlights around the university” - https://researchmagazine.gwu.edu/patterns-predictions
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GW InnovationFest Website: https://innovationfest.gwu.edu/
Art Therapy Booth Info: https://innovationfest.gwu.edu/program?field_school_or_unit_target_id=All&combine=art+therapy

Well done to all of the students on their strong showing at this year’s Research Showcase. In conversations with stud...
04/15/2026

Well done to all of the students on their strong showing at this year’s Research Showcase. In conversations with students and professors from across the campus - as well as with Dean’s and the interim Provost - our students presented themselves as scholars, advocates, and champions of art therapy

ARTH 6235: Social and Cultural Diversity course at the American Portraiture Today to prepare future art therapists ...
03/29/2026

ARTH 6235: Social and Cultural Diversity course at the American Portraiture Today to prepare future art therapists for how art showcases narratives of multidimensional identity to engage viewers in storytelling as a bridge to forming therapeutic relationships by:
* noticing resonance but appreciating differences due to lived experiences
* connecting human to human with understanding of cultural influences
* practicing awareness of one’s own reactions and curiosity about others’ stories
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https://npg.si.edu/exhibition/outwin-2025-american-portraiture-today

joined the booth at the American Association for the Advancement of Science () annual meeting in Phoenix ( ) to intro...
02/14/2026

joined the booth at the American Association for the Advancement of Science () annual meeting in Phoenix ( ) to introduce art therapy to an interdisciplinary group of scientists and researchers. During these challenging and uncertain times, Professor Jordan Potash along with students Roxanne Cen and Sarah Ort led participants in stress management art making rooted in practice-based studies conducted in our Program. They also encouraged people to try the generative AI art making protocol designed in conjunction with a year-long study. Check out our offerings at: https://aaasmeeting.research.gwu.edu/
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CCAS Spotlight on Professor Jordan Potash’s AI research and coursework.
02/11/2026

CCAS Spotlight on Professor Jordan Potash’s AI research and coursework.

Through new platforms and new innovations, GW scholars and students are putting artificial intelligence to work in classrooms and clinical settings.

Congratulations to Gwen Short - alumna (class of 1980), supervisor, and adjunct faculty on her retirement. Over her ma...
01/25/2026

Congratulations to Gwen Short - alumna (class of 1980), supervisor, and adjunct faculty on her retirement. Over her many years of service, she has enriched the lives of countless clients, students, and colleagues. We’re wishing her even more creative endeavors in the years ahead!

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, partnered with to root art therapy practices in King’s teachings. Over 40...
01/20/2026

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, partnered with to root art therapy practices in King’s teachings. Over 40 participants symbolized their experiences of injustice, created group murals to note connections across injustices, and transformed those images into murals of justice. Together we discovered how our art making strategies can inspire actions to shift personal perspectives, improve relationships, and enhance communities.

Powerful presentations on the last day of the AATA conference.Keynote presentation, Tyler BryantTurn the Page: Bolder Th...
10/11/2025

Powerful presentations on the last day of the AATA conference.

Keynote presentation, Tyler Bryant
Turn the Page: Bolder Thinking for Self-Actualization

Miki Goerdt, Sone-Seeré Burrell, and Sally Giles
Bringing Visibility for Therapists Navigating Autoimmune Disease

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