Statement for the Congressional Record in Recognition of
National Creative Arts Therapies Week
June 1 – 7, 2003
New York City, NY

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

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… 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… Particularly 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.