Mission Statement
"To foster connections among Creative Arts Therapists and to integrate and promote Creative Arts Therapies
within the greater Portland area."
Who Are We?
Portland Creative Arts Therapies Association (CATA) is a voluntary group and welcomes creative arts therapists, health workers, and others who use creative arts for healing and are interested in seeing creative arts therapies become more entrenched locally in professional health services.
Our History
Portland CATA traces its roots back to 2008, when art, music, and dance/movement therapists rallied together in a last ditch effort to dash lawmakers’ efforts to pass a bill that would have prevented creative arts therapy providers from practicing as master’s level therapists. Several creative arts therapists traveled to Salem to give testimony while others participated via conference calls. Although state representatives voted to include CATA into the language of the bill, the bill did not pass. Nevertheless, state legislators were educated and impressed about the effectiveness of creative arts therapies. A small group of creative arts therapists met to identify common goals for political action. The group quickly realized that working together politically meant that we first needed to really understand and appreciate each other and our modalities. We needed to take a “leap of faith” that our similar passion for and belief in the creative arts therapies as potent therapeutic disciplines in combination with our collaborating process, would eventually lead to trust and understanding. Thus, Portland Creative Arts Therapies Association was formed. Over the past 9 years CATA has produced day long conferences, afternoon workshops, and networking gatherings as a way of sharing the approaches of the various creative arts therapies disciplines among local practitioners. To coincide with the national celebration of Creative Arts Therapies Week, CATA has sponsored two week-long celebrations to showcase Portland’s diverse and vibrant creative arts therapies and to engage the local community.
Get Involved
CATA is led by a steering committee of several therapists from the multiple creative arts therapies disciplines. We meet monthly to discuss plans in nurturing our community of creative arts therapists in the Portland area and how to educate the general public about the importance of the creative arts therapies. If you'd like to get involved please email us at catapdx@gmail.com
"To foster connections among Creative Arts Therapists and to integrate and promote Creative Arts Therapies
within the greater Portland area."
Who Are We?
Portland Creative Arts Therapies Association (CATA) is a voluntary group and welcomes creative arts therapists, health workers, and others who use creative arts for healing and are interested in seeing creative arts therapies become more entrenched locally in professional health services.
Our History
Portland CATA traces its roots back to 2008, when art, music, and dance/movement therapists rallied together in a last ditch effort to dash lawmakers’ efforts to pass a bill that would have prevented creative arts therapy providers from practicing as master’s level therapists. Several creative arts therapists traveled to Salem to give testimony while others participated via conference calls. Although state representatives voted to include CATA into the language of the bill, the bill did not pass. Nevertheless, state legislators were educated and impressed about the effectiveness of creative arts therapies. A small group of creative arts therapists met to identify common goals for political action. The group quickly realized that working together politically meant that we first needed to really understand and appreciate each other and our modalities. We needed to take a “leap of faith” that our similar passion for and belief in the creative arts therapies as potent therapeutic disciplines in combination with our collaborating process, would eventually lead to trust and understanding. Thus, Portland Creative Arts Therapies Association was formed. Over the past 9 years CATA has produced day long conferences, afternoon workshops, and networking gatherings as a way of sharing the approaches of the various creative arts therapies disciplines among local practitioners. To coincide with the national celebration of Creative Arts Therapies Week, CATA has sponsored two week-long celebrations to showcase Portland’s diverse and vibrant creative arts therapies and to engage the local community.
Get Involved
CATA is led by a steering committee of several therapists from the multiple creative arts therapies disciplines. We meet monthly to discuss plans in nurturing our community of creative arts therapists in the Portland area and how to educate the general public about the importance of the creative arts therapies. If you'd like to get involved please email us at catapdx@gmail.com