59-05-032 Proceeding

328 Proceedings of the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Congress According to theorists, thesemodels have strong similarities to those inAsia (Kalmanowitz, Potash, &Chan, 2012; Kim, 2012) and the Pacific (Seiuli, 2013;Webber, 2013). Linnell (2009, p. 25), for example, calls for Australian arts therapists to challenge Western and modern binary notions and hopes that art therapy can “contribute effective acts of reconciliation”. Many recently trained Western arts therapists have been strongly influenced by McNiff’s research of indigenous models that “...shamanic and indigenous healing traditions from throughout the world consistently define illness as a loss of soul and treatment as soul retrieval, an idea that applies beautifully to what we do today in art therapy” (2012, p. 16). Moving Forward During its evolution, and despite historic, ideological conflicts, ANZATA has inexorably moved towards greater inclusion, co-operation and expansion of its membership in order to promote the profession and establish greater recognition and opportunities for employment. It has also sought to create greater links and working relationships with other organisations in our own countries and those of our close neighbours. The range of countries of delegates attending the ANZATA/LASALLE research symposium in Singapore (2014) is an example of these links, reflecting this strategy in action. As a result of globalisation, much of the world is increasingly inter-connected and there is considerable value in mutual exchange – “...there is an increasing movement towards each other, learning from each other and integration of ideals, philosophies and practice...” (Kalmanowitz, Potash & Chan, 2012, p. 27). Arts therapists in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore are looking less to Europe and the United States, and increasingly towards our own geographical and cultural region of Asia Pacific. There are vitally important opportunities for mutual learning and development in this part of the world. “The best things happenwhen people from throughout the world and fromvastly different backgrounds listen to each other, study their respective traditions and ideas, open themselves to communion and influence, and move beyond ideologies of separation to mutual influence and creation” (McNiff, 2012, p. 19). Opportunities such as this important Congress are highly significant in helping to create a strong cultural identity in this region, where we can build on the chance to take the best of all worlds: Indigenous, Eastern andWestern; and create our own fusions that workwithin our context and era; to respect and learn from each other in order to share ideas and effective ways of working. References Agee, MN, McIntosh, T, Culbertson, P, &Makasiale, CO (Eds.). (2013). Pacific identities and well- being: Cross cultural perspectives (pp. 103 - 114). Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press. Dunedin, New Zealand: Otago University Press.