Call for Article Submission - Special Issue on: Arts Therapy in South Africa: In Celebration of its Establishment and Development

Call for Article Submission - Special Issue on:

Arts Therapy in South Africa: In Celebration of its Establishment and Development

Introduction:

Since the 1970s, and perhaps even before, the pioneers of what we now know to be arts therapy in South Africa started conversations, held workshops, invited international guests to hold symposia, initiated a music therapy journal and sowed many seeds for the arts therapy profession, which includes music, dance, art and drama. This issue seeks to remember how the respective professions within arts therapy were established in South Africa and to celebrate ongoing development reflected in the current scope of practice and research initiatives.

Context:

Many role-players have worked in different contexts and ways to shape the South African arts therapy landscape. These contributors have included pioneers who negotiated registration with the HPCSA; those who established various iterations of professional associations, including the present day SANATA; those who have held the voice of critique regarding professional registration; practitioners involved in shaping arts therapy applications; those who have developed various forms of training; those who have led the way as researchers; and those who have fought for professional recognition related to medical aid coverage and tariffs. Pioneers, advocates, community practitioners, clinicians, researchers, artists, teachers, scholars, new graduates, and students are all part of the South African arts therapy story.

Themes and Topics:

We invite submissions from those who wish to tell a part of the South African arts therapy story. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• The promulgation of the scope of practice and other developments within the HPCSA
• Community-based arts therapy practice, research, or training initiatives
• History and development of programmes established at academic training institutions
• The role of advocacy
• Past and current challenges for arts therapy in South Africa
• Individual stories about clinical and community practice
• Collaborative or modality-specific research projects
• Efforts to integrate traditional African arts and healing practices within the arts therapy profession
• The development of “home-grown” to more formal ethical guidelines
• The contributions of specific pioneer(s)
• Co-produced research or practice reflections from therapist and client/participant teams on the development of the field

Formats:

• Research articles
• Reports
• Interviews
• Narrative reflections
• Arts-based contributions

Date for manuscript submission: 15 September 2025

Contact Information:

For further information and submission details, please contact [Vivien, Cathy, Carol] Special Issue Editors, Contact Information: saxonkinnear@icloud.com