The Art Therapy Project

11/29/2025

“If it’s hard to put those words outside because of the stigma around it, how can we communicate with them? It’s through art and building our own."

Read more about the potential to use art and community to promote healing from substance use:

 SMC Student Health Services, together with the Westside Impact Project and the Institute for Public Strategies, hosted an art workshop focused on creating art as a pathway to community healing. 

11/28/2025

"When I was a medical student and saw how art therapists were able to tap into trauma, grief and emotion that had been hard for patients to talk about, I was amazed at how powerful art could be in the clinical setting."

Read more about Dr. Kwok's thoughts on how art can function as a therapeutic holding space:

https://impact.weill.cornell.edu/fall-2025/muse/holding-space

11/27/2025

“It’s a gift to our community as these Veterans share their vulnerability, diverse creativity and parts of their evolving stories with us. There is power and healing in the creative process and that’s something to celebrate.”

Read more about the creative arts festival that showcases creative works by veterans:

The American Legion Auxiliary and Western North Carolina VA Health Care System co-hosted the annual Creative Arts Festival, a celebration of artistry, resilience, and the healing power of creative expression.

11/26/2025

If you need a pause from the Thanksgiving table tomorrow, take a moment with this mindful exercise using a napkin or paper towel and a marker or pen. Read more at https://thearttherapyproject.org/blog/2025/11/19/a-simple-de-stressor-for-the-busy-holiday-season

11/26/2025

This recent NYTs piece highlights a troubling trend: mental health challenges among children and teens are rising at staggering rates, often emerging at strikingly young ages. Increasing academic pressures, less unstructured play, and tightly packed schedules may be intensifying stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms in young people.

Read More at https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/magazine/youth-mental-health-crisis-schools.html?campaign_id=9&emc=edit_nn_20251125&instance_id=167036&nl=the-morning®i_id=106012169&segment_id=211205&user_id=014bdf9efbd1e2cab84c057d0f5ceba3

11/25/2025

is just around the corner, but you don’t have to wait to make an impact. Join us in celebrating 15 years of open doors by giving $15 (or more!) toward art supplies for youth art therapy. Visit https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/art-therapy-project/giving-tuesday-25 to learn more.

11/24/2025

“The military is now starting to recognize that domestic violence is a big problem that we were sweeping under the rug because nobody wanted to blame anybody else."

Read more about Miki, a Navy veteran who has found healing through art and hopes to one day get a master's degree in art therapy:

LANCASTER — US Navy veteran Miki Jones has overcome trauma in her life and is learning to love art again.

11/22/2025

“Art therapy is a great way to kind of work through things that maybe have occurred in your life or maybe feelings you have, whether that’s anxiety, depression, or just something that you kind of want to work through."

Read more about the importance of accessible art therapy:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/arts/visual-art-and-design/paint-splatter-event-makes-art-therapy-accessible/ar-AA1QvRaX?ocid=BingNewsVerp

11/21/2025

"Just look for the little things in life that bring you happiness... the people who look for yellow cars find the yellow cars."

Read more about how small moments of creative expression can lead to healing:

Lia Landefeld discovered happiness through art after facing mental health challenges, transforming her life with origami and murals at WellSpan Philhaven.

11/20/2025

Throughout the day, pay attention and see if you can notice one thing for each sense that brings a feeling of calm or joy. Notice things you can see, hear, smell, taste and feel, then choose a color, shape or symbol to fill a page to represent each sensation. This practice can help to remind ourselves of small connections to calm and joy that are present, even throughout the dark and cold winter months.

11/19/2025

According to research, "Not only does the creation process of drawing, calligraphy, Mandala, and others provide a safe emotional outlet, but it also helps [people] gradually change from anxiety and depression to a state of internal calmness and self-acceptance."

Read more about the application of art therapy to a Chinese cultural context:

https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=146923

11/18/2025

Thanks to our amazing community, we raised $5,400 to support youth art therapy programs at Craft and Care! Missed the event? You can still make an impact by donating today at https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/art-therapy-project/craft-and-care-25

Special thanks to our sponsors for helping make this event possible - Herb-n-Peach Westbeth Artists Housing and Center for the Arts

And a big thank you to our dedicated volunteers for supporting the raffle, helping with setup and breakdown, and keeping everything running smoothly on event day.