Creative Arts Therapies Week

National Creative Arts Therapies Week (CATs Week) occurs annually in the United States and Canada, usually in March. It is designated to celebrate the creative arts therapies, including art therapy, music therapy, drama therapy and psychodrama, poetry therapy, and – our favorite – dance/movement therapy. The American Dance Therapy Association encourages dance/movement therapists to use Creative Arts Therapies Week as an opportunity to spread the word about the importance of dance/movement therapy. This is a perfect time to create collaborations with other creative arts therapists in your area.

Next Creative Arts Therapies Week is March 12-18, 2017. Here are just a few select highlights of how dance/movement therapists celebrated #CATW2016!

We welcomed our 5000th member to the ADTA Group page on Facebook! (That’s worthy of a dance party!)

President Jody Wager and other dance/movement therapists led a movement opening for the attendees at the annual PsychoTherapy Networker Symposium.
Lora Wilson Mau offered a workshop on the difference between “therapeutic” dance and DMT at the American College Dance Association Baja Conference in Los Angeles, CA.
Custom ADTA banners could be seen all over Facebook!
Our Our colleagues in the Hong Kong Dance/Movement Therapy Association even honored CAT week by offering an informative workshop to the public!

CAT Week 2017

It’s never too early to start planning for the next Creative Arts Therapies Week, March 12-18, 2017! There are so many possibilities:

  • Offer to present a workshop on dance/movement therapy at your place of employment.
  • Contact a former dance or psychology teacher and offer to present a class session or workshop for high school or college students about dance/movement therapy.
  • Contact other CAT colleagues in your area about offering a workshop or seminar open to the public.
  • Visit schools, nursing homes, day-care or other facilities centers to provide a creative arts therapies experience.
  • Arrange a display at your local library (and in your own workplace!)
  • Hand out ADTA Brochures, put up posters or leave flyers wherever you go.
  • Send out a press release to your local paper announcing Creative Arts Therapies Week activities in your community.
  • Post about dance/movement therapy on Facebook
  • Tweet about #dancemovementtherapy
  • Send a letter or e-mail to the Public Service Director of your local radio and TV stations for a Public Service Announcement. (Be sure to include your contact information).
  • Arrange for you or a colleague to be interviewed by a local paper or station, highlighting your work.
  • ADTA would like to hear about your CAT week celebrations. Please submit your CAT week events to [email protected]

Creative Arts Therapies Coalitions

All creative arts therapies have engaging ways to promote awareness and healing. Dance, drama, art, psychodrama, poetry, and music all offer training programs in their various disciplines. Creative Arts Therapists are human service professionals who use arts modalities and creative processes for the purpose of ameliorating disability and illness and optimizing health and wellness. The National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies (NCCATA — www.nccata.org) brings the CAT organizations together for collegiality and advocacy

Local Coalitions

Collaborating with creative arts therapists in your local area provides opportunities for collegiality and helps build the relationships needed to achieve shared goals.