ABSTRACT
This historical survey has been limited to the period of the 1940s to 1982, during which time art therapists were preoccupied with the struggle for professional recognition. But, of course, things do not stand still. Following the publication of PM(82)6 which recognised the need for art therapists to be trained, and gave them a separate career and salary structure under the Whitley Council, and established them in the National Health Service, there was a long period of consolidation and gathering of energy for the new challenges to be met. In this summary of events post–1982 I cannot do justice to the variety of work and issues which were faced and resolved, and I hope that in due course I, or another ‘archaeologist’, will dig more deeply. For the time being, I will merely point out some of the most pertinent concerns of the past seven years.
