[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 3, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S7230]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 NATIONAL CREATIVE ARTS THERAPIES WEEK

 Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, the process of using the arts 
therapeutically to assist victims of illness, trauma, disability and 
other personal challenges, has historically been underrecognized as a 
valuable treatment, yet the benefits of this treatment are far 
reaching. The creative arts therapies, comprising the fields of art 
therapy, dance/movement therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, poetry 
therapy and psychodrama, are disciplines that foster creative 
expression to promote health, communication, self-awareness, emotional, 
social and cognitive functioning. I rise today, to proclaim National 
Creative Arts Therapies Week, June 1-7, 2003 as a time to recognize 
this unique service.
  Creative arts therapies have been practiced in the United States for 
over 50 years with people of all ages and problems. Such therapists 
work in medical hospitals, rehabilitation centers, mental health 
facilities, day treatment centers, nursing homes, schools, homeless 
shelters, correctional settings, and in private practice. Creative arts 
therapists have helped people who have undergone trauma, loss, acute 
physical and chronic illness, emotional disturbance, or struggle with 
depression, retardation, development disabilities and addictions. The 
contribution of creative arts therapists in the aftermath of 9/11, 
assisting victims and the bereaved through trauma treatment and the 
alleviation of post-traumatic stress, were invaluable.
  I want to recognize and thank creative arts therapists in America who 
are assisting the most vulnerable in our society with valuable 
therapeutic intervention. There are over 15,000 licensed clinicians who 
meet high quality standards of graduate education and practice. Various 
States, including New York, have additional licensure requirements, 
which protect patients from fraudulent practitioners and maintain the 
quality of care at the highest standard. These credentialed clinicians 
constitute a vital force of mental health professionals in our country. 
However, many Americans are unable to access such services because 
awareness about their effectiveness and employment of such therapists 
is not sufficiently widespread.
  The National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies Associations is 
collectively celebrating the history and status of their profession. 
They will be showcasing workshops, presentations and exhibits 
throughout the United States to inform the public, health care 
practitioners, insurers and legislators about therapeutic value and 
significance of this discipline.
  I therefore proclaim National Creative Arts Therapies Week, June 1-7, 
2003 as a time to recognize the unique service provided by these 
clinicians. Further, I encourage my colleagues in Congress to support 
the creative arts therapies fields and expand awareness of this form of 
treatment. At this time of heightened sensitivity to maintaining mental 
health, we should recognize the creative arts therapies as a way to 
help those in distress through the power of the arts to heal.
  (At the request of Mr. Daschle, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)

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