Dear readers, I am a 55 year-old woman, a sociologist and a psychotherapist. Following my sister’s suicide, I became depressed and sought different types of help including art therapy. In 1999-2000, during my participation as a client in the group Art Therapy Program of the Victoria Mental Health Centre, I was grossly and repeatedly abused by an art therapist who is also the person in charge of students’ practica at the British Columbia School of Art Therapy in Victoria. Her supervisor did not pay attention to my complaint and covered up for her. A third art therapist did not allow me access to another publicly-funded art therapy program as a punishment for my complaint against her colleague. And when I filed another complaint against the abusive therapist to the British Columbia Art Therapy Association, its Ethics Committee played various stalling tactics on me for two years before finally deciding that the art therapist in question "conducted herself in a manner that was professionally and clinically competent". This can only happen in British Columbia, Canada, where clients have absolutely no protection against abuse. I’d like to ask everyone in this forum to sign my Petition to the President of the British Columbia Art Therapy Association, urging her to call for disciplinary hearing and appropriate corrective action regarding the above abusive art therapist. Thank you very much for your support. Best regards, Dr. Azadeh Azad To go to my Petition Website, click on the following URL:
http://www.geocities.com/art_therapy_ethics/Fighting-Back-Client-Abuse.htm
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