Children's Mental Health Awareness Day is May 9th, 2012

The Virginia Art Therapy Association is hosting "Heroes of Hope", a Children's Mental Health Awareness Day event in recognition of the gift of hope given by parents, caregivers, and friends of children who have experienced trauma in their lives. The event will be held at The Children's Museum of Richmond (Downtown) and is free to the public. Children are welcome to attend all three events throughout the day. Admission and associated fees for other exhibits and activities held at the Children’s Museum of Richmond are not included as a part of this event .

Deadline for Artwork Submissions is April 30th!!! If you or someone you know is interested in submitting Artwork for the "Heroes of Hope" exhibit please let us know by emailing us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , more information is also provided at www.vaarttherapy.wordpress.com

The Day's Events will include;
11:30am – 1:00pm Q&A Panel Discussion: Parents
and caregivers bring your questions! You will have
the opportunity to ask questions related to mental
health issues for children to a panel of local
professionals who work with children, mental health,
or both. Lunch is provided and an activity will be
available to keep the little ones busy.

Seating is Limited so Please Register in Advance!! To register, please email your name with the number of children/adults attending to The Virginia Art Therapy Association at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (804) 632-8696

1:00pm-5:00 Art Making : Children and parents
are invited to make art together, one of the best
ways to stay connected with and learn more about
your child! A special exhibit “Feel for Color” will be
on display for exploration. The exhibit features
quilts of masterworks of art, with special textural
guides for visually impaired children.

All Day “Heroes of Hope” Exhibit: An art exhibit of works
by children and youths ages 4 -18 and their
professional caregivers. The exhibit will focus on
how children cope with trauma and how their
parents, friends, and caregivers became their “Hero
of Hope”. The exhibit will be displayed in the lobby
of the museum starting May 9, 2012

The Virginia Art Therapy Association: An Affiliate Chapter of the American Art Therapy Association

Our regional mission is to support and promote the field of art therapy in the Commonwealth of Virginia. To this end, our goals include facilitation of networking opportunities for art therapists, organization of workshops/symposiums for education purposes, establishment of alliances with other mental health providers, and promotion of public awareness of the field. There are close to 150 credentialed art therapists in Virginia, and our aim is to build a vibrant art therapy community to share the abundant creativity, talent, and expertise that we each bring.

For our aspiring and fellow professionals, thank you for all that you do on a daily basis to promote our profession, educate on our field, and further our success. Thank you to our non-art therapist supporters for looking us up! We hope that you will join us as Contributors and share your interests and knowledge with our community.