Michele Rattigan (she/her) is a registered, board-certified art therapist, nationally certified/licensed professional counselor and clinical associate professor in the graduate Art Therapy and Counseling program of the Creative Arts Therapies Department. After graduating from Drexel’s art therapy program in 1996, Michele worked with individuals across the lifespan in a variety of settings including psychiatric, medical, rehabilitative and educational; 15 years in private practice; and three years as the creative arts therapies’ clinical coordinator at Drexel’s Parkway Health and Wellness.

Rattigan began teaching art therapy courses in 1999. Her teaching philosophy focuses on the dynamic teacher-student relationship and presence as pedagogy to support student growth that is trauma-informed, compassionate, socially mindful and grounded in cultural humility. The intersections of daily arts practices, everyday creativity, well-being, mindfulness, self-compassion, community compassion, interdisciplinary collaboration and equity in mental healthcare influence her work as a clinician, artist, writer, volunteer and educator.

Rattigan is currently a doctoral student in Drexel’s Health Sciences program where she is studying self-compassion and cultural humility in clinical education.

Academic Distinctions

• Delaware Valley Art Therapy Association Active Artist Award, July 2007
  Philadelphia, PA
• The Gold Service Excellence Award, October 1998
  Christiana Care Health System, Wilmington, DE
• The Silver Service Excellence Award, June 1998
  Christiana Care Health System, Wilmington, DE

Professional Society

American Art Therapy Association
American Counseling Association
National Board of Certified Counselors
Pennsylvania Art Therapy Association

Selected Publications

Kaimal, G., Rattigan, M. D., Miller, G., & Haddy, J. (2016). Implications of national trends in digital media for art therapy practice. Journal of Clinical Art Therapy, 3(1). http://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/jcat/vol3/iss1/6

Rattigan, M. D. (2021). Can this bottle stay here? The power of visual art making in the treatment of substance use disorders. In R. C. Carroll (Ed.), Complementary and integrative approaches to substance use disorders (pp.141-174). Nova Science.

Rattigan, M. D. (in press). Cameras off, coffee on: Online teaching and learning in Covid-times. In M. Winkel (Ed.), The reality of virtual art therapy. Routledge.

Rattigan, M. D., Morningstar, D. M., & Horowitz, S. A. (in press). The button method: A model for collaboration with creative arts therapies. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2021.1950092

*Wright, A. (in press). eXit. In N. Carlton (Ed.), Illustrating stories: Comics and graphic novel use in art therapy. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. *pseudonym

Grant participation:

Use of Mindfulness in Virtual Reality
Dean’s Rapid Response Relevant Grant (R3), Drexel University

Team:

Karolina Bryl PhD, R-DMT/DMP, CMA, RMST/E, post-doctoral fellow

Natalie Carlton PhD, ATR-BC, LPCC, Creative Arts Therapies

Abby Dougherty, PhD, NCC, LPC (PI), Creative Arts Therapies

Jackie Murphy, EdD, RN, CPN, CNE, MSN Advanced Role; Complementary and Integrative Health

Arun Ramakrishnan, PhD, Director Research Labs

Michele Rattigan, MA, ATR-BC, NCC, LPC, Creative Arts Therapies

 

Research Interests

Self-compassion, trauma stewardship, cultural humility, mindfulness, painted meditation and interprofessional collaboration

Specialization

Unresolved trauma; post-partum depression and anxiety; disordered eating and body image concerns; self-harming behaviors; dissociative disorders.

2019-present: Doctor of Health Sciences, student, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

1996: MA, Art Therapy, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

1994: BFA, Painting & Drawing; Certificate of Concentration in Art Therapy, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA