Searching for wholeness as a Jewish art therapist

ABSTRACT

This opinion piece combines scholarly sources and personal experiences to address Jewish art therapists’ presence in the profession. When working with clients, Jewish art therapists may negotiate self-disclosure with addressing stereotypes. Collegial matters reflect societal ways that Jews are misunderstood: negating Jewish suffering, blurring anti-Israel and antisemitism, and conflating Jewish and White. Art therapists can create a more secure place for Jews through reflection, education, and advocacy.

Plain-language summary

Jewish art therapists have not been offered resources for how their identity impacts client relationships and collegial interactions. This opinion piece reviews the ways that unexamined Jewish misunderstanding and discrimination influence the profession. These include: negotiating client perceptions, underestimating Jewish suffering, confusing criticisms of Israel, and merging Jewishness with Whiteness. Art therapists can counter these influences through reflection, education, and advocacy.

KEYWORDS:

• Art therapy
• Jewish
• antisemitism
• intersectional
• multidimensional self‌
• discrimination

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jordan S. Potash

Jordan S. Potash, PhD, ATR-BC, LCPAT is a registered, board-certified, and licensed art therapist in the U.S. He is an Associate Professor of Art Therapy at The George Washington University in Alexandria, Virginia. As an art therapist for over 20 years, he has worked and taught in a variety of settings including in the U.S., Hong Kong, and Israel. For more information, please visit: www.jordanpotash.com