She stated in the book Architects of art therapy: Memoirs and life stories that her sole friend from childhood died in her eighth-grade year.
[2] After completing her undergraduate degree, Anderson began work as a teacher in a small schoolhouse for children with disabilities in Southern Indiana.
[2] Anderson attended the founding meeting of the American Art Therapy Association (AATA), in Louisville, Kentucky on June 29, 1969, upon graduating with her doctorate degree.
[2] In 1972, Anderson conducted research with Helen Landgarten documenting the interest and need for art therapy in mental health facilities in the Midwest and Southern California.
[2] In 1977, she took part in the seventh annual AATA conference, and sat on a panel titled Art therapy: An exploration of values.
Anderson was able to continue to advocate and provide research for her field by serving on AATA's Education and Program Approval Board (EPAB).
[2] Anderson recruited recognized doctorate-level art therapists such as Marcia Rosal, Doris Arrington, and Valeria Appleton among others, to teach weekend courses at ISU.
[2] Anderson began volunteering in the lab school at ISU, where she worked as part of a treatment team for children with auditory, visual, physical, mental and emotional disabilities.
Anderson reflected on the experience as facing "the evils" and also adding the spiritual aspects to the process helped empower the women.
[2] As these groups were part of a grant project, Anderson documented the outcome with a journal article, four conference presentations, a monograph, and a video entitled Courage!
[2] In 2002, Anderson resigned as editor of the AATA journal, and retired from her post at ISU so that she could travel to teach a research course for four months in Buenos Aires.