The Story of Art Therapy in Latvia: A historical approach

For more than a decade, art therapy has been a nationally recognised and regulated profession in Latvia within the healthcare framework, and specifically within the group of functional specialists, as defined by the Medical Treatment Law and related laws and regulations. The road to this status, the recognition of the profession and its acceptance by society and the professional community dates back to the end of the last century. In order to describe the current status of art therapists in our country, the authors will look back in time, describing how art therapy began - from the first efforts to apply it in the helping professions to its development today, distinguishing several stages of development. The authors have chosen a historical approach for their reflection, which is considered to be multi-methodological (McCarthy, 2022). Specifically, a historical context approach was used, assimilating a personological approach (using vignettes of the memories of important figures in the profession) into the description, constructing the narrative through the prism of the two authors’ experiences. This was considered the most appropriate way to achieve the aim of the article - to provide an insight into how art therapy in Latvia has developed and evolved, combining personal experiences with the prevailing cultural and social Zeitgeist of the time.