Regional groups offer a chance for art therapists in all the UK to meet through a range of organised activities (lectures, workshops, art groups, reflective practice groups, etc.). The BAAT funds these from members' subscriptions. Regional groups are an excellent way to network with other art therapists and offer free or very low cost Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities to their members.
Regional group meetings are open to all BAAT members, including trainees and associates but at times, coordinators may decide to hold events for full members only. The regional groups are coordinated by volunteer BAAT members and all participants are required to follow the BAAT governance for regional groups.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) offer a chance for art therapists to meet and focus on clinical specialty. The BAAT funds these from members' subscriptions. Research is at the heart of the BAAT SIGs (see governance document below). SIGs are an excellent way to network with other art therapists and to access free or very low cost Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities.
SIG meetings are open to full BAAT members and trainees but at times, coordinators may decide to hold events for full members only. Associate members may also attend if this is agreed with SIG members. The SIGs are coordinated by volunteer BAAT members and all participants are required to adhere to the BAAT governance for SIGs
The ATPRN is a good place to start if you are not confident about writing for publication or about research. Joining the ATPRN cannot make you an independent researcher. However, it can help you to become more familiar with some of the terms and will help you understand some of the processes involved. Furthermore, understanding the nature of art therapy evidence is one example of commonly needed research knowledge. Being part of the ATPRN is an excellent way of fulfilling the requirements of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and Clinical Governance. We now have an ATPRN group for BAAT trainee members who may be interested in research and evaluation. We plan to integrate the BAAT research library and evaluation/research resources in to this forum in the coming months.
As these are professional forums, we request that all BAAT members ensure a respectful discourse and that they ensure no material which could be offensive or be a breach of confidentiality of clients, colleagues and BAAT members should be shared. As we are all expected to meet the HCPC standards of ethics and professional conduct, we remind you that breaches of conduct may lead to a Fitness-to-Practice referral. These forums are not suitable areas to raise complaints – we refer you to BAAT complaint policy on the BAAT website.