The American Art Therapy Association's 50th Annual Conference

KANSAS CITY, Mo., October 24, 2019 (Newswire.com) - ​The American Art Therapy Association's 50^th Annual Conference: Celebrating 50 Years of Healing Through Art Therapy to be held Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, 2019, at the Marriott Kansas City Downtown will convene 1,000 art therapists from around the country and the globe for 230 educational sessions that will highlight art therapy with refugee and migrant populations, including international perspectives on trauma-informed and culturally relevant care. Sessions will also address two major national crises: students coping with gun violence in schools and more broadly, children's mental health; and the opioid epidemic.

The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) is the nation's leading voice for art therapy. Art therapists are clinicians with master's level or higher degrees trained in art and therapy that serve diverse communities in different settings, from medical institutions and wellness centers to schools and independent practices.

Every day, art therapists help victims of violence and trauma, including military service members; older adults with dementia or Alzheimer's disease; children living with social or behavioral challenges such as autism; and anyone coping with life's challenges.

AATA is delighted to celebrate our milestone conference so close to where art therapy has its roots. One of the very first art therapy programs in the U.S. was established in the 1950s at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

• Congresswoman Sharice Davids (KS-3) will address attendees and welcome them to Kansas City.​
• The Journey of the Refugee's Mind: Understanding the Psychological Stages of Forced Migration, keynote by Dr. Essam Daod, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, co-founder and Mental Health Director of Humanity Crew.​
• Art Therapy with Refugee and Migrant Populations, master class with Dr. Daod and a panel of art therapists.
• Breaking the Chains of Racial Trauma in Therapy, plenary session with psychotherapist Dr. Angela Roman Clack and members of the AATA's Multicultural Committee.​
• 50 Years, Five Therapists, Five Cases: The Power of the Work We Do, each panelist will share the story of one case that had significant implications in their career and in the life of the client involved.​
• Strangers in Town: A Documentary Film About Immigration Reflects Art in Action! Psychologist and filmmaker Stephen Lerner highlights social and environmental challenges from local perspectives.
• Multicultural Exchange Forum, featuring local artist, activist, and founder and CEO of Storytellers Inc. Michael Vance Toombs.​
• "F" Word: Feminism Today…Right Now! Pop-up learning session with Arzie Umali, Assistant Director of the Women's Center at the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
• Emporia State University is sponsoring 31 art therapy students for a year-long mentorship program centered on their conference experience.

Find more detailed program highlights in the Media Advisory attached. For the full conference schedule and program, visit www.arttherapyconference.com.

Source: American Art Therapy Association