Canadian Art Therapy Association

The Canadian Art Therapy Association (CATA) / L'Association canadienne d'art-thérapie (ACAT) was founded in 1977 to unite and promote the emerging profession of art therapy in Canada.

CATA envisions a world where everyone can heal and flourish through connection and creativity. Its mission is to steward the profession of art therapy in Canada while cultivating an inclusive Canadian art therapy community through establishing standards, offering career development to members, and advocating for and supporting the profession.

Guided by core values, CATA centers on the collective voices of its members, commitment to art therapy best practices, inclusion and diversity, collaboration, creativity, innovation, and integrity and accountability in action.

CATA-ACAT works in cooperation with provincial art therapy associations to raise professional standards in the interest of public safety and trust. This includes upholding ethical standards, setting requirements for professional and registered designations, working with training programs to ensure educational quality, publishing a tri-annual magazine and bi-annual academic journal, supporting research, and raising public awareness of art therapy across Canada.