2020-749-E-Arts Commission-Art Therapy Institute of NC

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members, four of whom are women of color. Of the 5 interns ATI has this year, 3 are women of color. In total, ATI serv es approximately 650 children and adults each year. ATI’s two largest programs – The Exceptional Children’s Program and the Newcomers Art Therapy Program – take place within public school systems. During the school year, ATI clinicians prov ide art therapy serv ices to more than 100 children (K-12) with intellectual and physical disabilities in Orange County. Through group therapy, EC children dev elop creativ e expression, interact with peers and learn social skills, and gain a sense of mastery through the creativ e process. ATI also works with adults liv ing with intellectual and dev elopmental disorders. ATI clinicians use art-making to help these clients identify and accept their emotions; increase their ability to communicate in a group atmosphere; and dev elop a sense of assurance that positiv ely impacts their educational and v ocational pursuits. ATI’s Newcomers Program serv es more than 350 refugee and immigrant children and adults from more than 40 countries worldwide. Through this program, newcomers are prov ided accessible, art-based mental health serv ices across the Triangle and Triad regions of North Carolina. In addition to serv ing newcomer children in the school systems, ATI also offers art therapy to adults through the Carrboro Community Health Center, monthly women’s groups and through groups offered by Church W orld Serv ices in Durham. Newcomers present with a unique set of mental health concerns. Beyond the potential - and probable -trauma experienced before and during migration to the United States, newcomers also contend with difficulties experienced post-arriv al, including language and cultural barriers, financial concerns, ongoing legal battles, homesickness, ethnic discrimination, and other barriers to housing, employment, and education. ATI’s Newcomers Program helps clients express and process this complex trauma, build confidence lev els, learn social skills, and acquire acculturation practices. ATI’s Arts and Peer Support Group serv es div erse adults liv ing with a range of sev ere and persistent mental illnesses. Using the expressiv e arts, group members learn to celebrate themselv es as artists and integral community members rather than as stigmatized people. ATI does not charge a fee for participants to attend this weekly program. This commitment to mental health accessibility has helped under-resourced community members attend this group since 2011. In addition to these three programs, ATI prov ides art therapy to adults liv ing with dementia as well as general population indiv iduals. ATI offers a v ariety of professional training opportunities and internships for community members. ATI also hosts community art shows which celebrate our clients and their work as well as the work of artists liv ing in our community. DocuSign Envelope ID: 15BA7CC0-0FAE-4533-B157-F8F68CE2CBE6