[Self-Study] Art Therapy in the Global AI Context: Ethical Considerations

This presentation explores the overlay of AI on arts practice. It presents the portions of the UNESCO AI Ethics document relevant to the practice of art therapy.

Learning Objectives:

By participating in this session, attendees will be able to:

Identify emerging “new media” tools shaping the future of art therapy practice.
Understand core AI systems and digital practices, including online art therapy provision.
Recognize ethical concerns related to scraping, consent, and therapeutic boundaries.
Evaluate what AI can and cannot support in art therapy practice.
Reflect on future directions: what we’ve learned, what we need, and what remains worth exploring.

Erin Partridge

PhD, ATR-BC

Elder Care Alliance

Dr. Erin Partridge, PhD, ATR-BC is an artist and board certified, registered art therapist. Her clinical experience includes work in community, pediatric, forensic, and geriatric settings. Erin received a BFA, studying fine art, psychology and women’s studies in at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She went onto obtain a MA in art therapy from New York University in 2008, and a PhD in art therapy from Notre Dame de Namur in 2016. Erin’s teaching and lecturing experience includes teaching at NDNU in the art therapy department, guest lectures in art and counseling programs, mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, workshop facilitation at several national conferences, and interviews with media about art therapy. Her research interests incorporate the lived experience and focus on participatory, ethnographic, and art-based approaches. She is currently working on responding to the findings of her research within the elder care context, and conducting continued research in this setting.