Toward an Ethical Application of Intersectionality in Art Therapy
Updated: Mar 1, 2022
Abstract: A pertinent aim of art therapy is to support clients facing unprecedented barriers to social justice in a time of political uncertainty, which I argue is heightened by the impact of neoliberalism and globalization. In this article, I demonstrate the ongoing need to apply an intersectional framework to art therapy practice in a manner that acknowledges power, reflexivity, and the social construction of meaning. Intersectionality is a way to understand how marginalized, intragroup identity differences simultaneously intersect to create and exacerbate experiences of oppression. I offer a critical analysis of epistemological and ontological theories of social justice, ethics, and diversity.