4th International Encounter for Arts Therapies Students- 4ArTS
Eighty arts therapies students from around the world but mostly around Europe gathered for the 4th arts therapies students’ encounter that took place in September 2009 in Athens. The conference involved a combination of professional lectures, student run workshops in art therapy, music therapy, dance movement therapy and drama therapy, and student run arts performances. It was organised by recently graduated and UK trained art therapists Diana Kagiafa and Katerina Zervou (University of Hertfordshire), and approved and sponsored by Greek art, music, dance and drama therapy trainings and associations (“The Arts and Psychotherapy Centre” in Athens & “Psychology-Art” in Salonica, “Greek Association of Dance Therapists”, “Greek Association of Qualified Music Therapists” and the Insititute of Dramatherapy “Aeon”). It was also approved by the University of Hertfordshire and the Fachhochschule Ottersberg in Germany.
Participants were students from a variety of countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Scotland, Spain and the Netherlands. The encounter intended to explore differences and similarities in arts therapies theories and practices around the world, and to promote an international arts therapies culture.
Guest lecturers included UK based arts therapists Caroline Case and Marian Liebmann, UK based Jungian analyst Martin Schmidt, and other European and Greek arts therapists. Students from all the different fields of arts therapies had the opportunity to lead workshops and give presentations.
click here to see all previous lectures and student lead workshops
For more information also go to our website www.4arts.gr
Feedback forms filled in by participants demonstrate the success of the event and promise an even more successful future. Some of the participants’ comments:
“I learned a lot from doing my own workshop”
“It was great to meet so many people from so many different places and disciplines but with the same fundamental values”
“It gave me a picture of the arts therapies education in other countries”
“Enlightening and inspiring!”
“A life-changing experience!”
What a participant wrote:
It was my first time participating at the international encounter for Arts Therapies Students, taking place in Athens, Greece. I was amazed by the warm and welcoming atmosphere. Students and lecturers from all over Europe, all kinds of creative therapies students/graduates and approaches mingled in a very creative, non-competitive and friendly way.
The private school, where the workshops and lectures took place and the accommodation offered for a low budget were very nice and exciting.
Next to the informative lectures (e.g. about archetypal transference, art therapy and anger or dyspraxia) I was able to have some remarkable conversations and discussions with other participants, but as well the lecturers (when are you ever able to speak to pioneers like M. Liebmann or C. Case). The afternoon workshops were a good counterbalance to the more theoretic morning parts. They not only gave me an insight to the different arts in therapy, but as well new experiences I do not want to miss. I remember dancing silently in the warm and smoggy air of Athens, being angry at my ‘partner monster’ during a drama therapy workshop and getting lost in intuitive music that sounded like sylvan tones from times long forgotten.
I strongly recommend this experience; you will have the chance to broaden your understanding of different approaches, arts and cultural influences for a relatively small budget.
Benita von Stillfried (MA in Art Psychotherapy, Goldsmiths)
