New Jersey Creative Art Therapies Symposium
Presented As Part of The Newark Arts Festival
Drama With A Twist presents
Funded by The City of Newark’s Creative Catalyst Grant
Pathways to Purpose & Wellness
Inaugural Symposium on Saturday, October 10, 2026
9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. | Newark, NJ
The NJ Creative Arts Therapies Symposium aims to bring together and unify creative arts therapists from across New Jersey and beyond to share innovative practices, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and strengthen our creative arts therapies community.
This inaugural symposium, made possible this year through the support of the City of Newark's Creative Catalyst Grant, is designed for creative arts therapists, mental health professionals, healthcare providers, educators, students, artists, community organizations, and all who are interested in the arts to promote healing, connection, and well-being.
Join us in celebrating the transformative power of creativity as we explore pathways to purpose, wellness, and stronger communities through creative arts therapies.
Call for Proposals
Inspired by this year's Newark Arts Festival theme, On Purpose, the symposium explores how creative arts therapies cultivate meaning, identity, resilience, belonging, and well-being across individuals, communities, and cultures. We welcome proposals that illuminate the many pathways through which creativity supports healing, connection, and purposeful living.
We invite practitioners from all disciplines of creative arts therapy to submit proposals that showcase their approach to:
Art Therapy
Dance/Movement Therapy
Music Therapy
Drama Therapy
Expressive Arts Therapy
Interdisciplinary & Community-Based Practices
Proposals may address:
Purpose, meaning-making, and identity
Community healing and social connection
Trauma-informed and resilience-focused practices
Creative Arts Therapies in healthcare, education, and community (clinical and non-clinical settings)
Cultural responsiveness, neurodiversity, accessibility, disability studies, and inclusive practice
Mental health and emotional well-being
Approaches to advocacy, racial and social justice
Emerging research and evidence-informed practice
Innovative interdisciplinary collaborations
Proposal Submission Deadline:
Sunday, August 9, 2026
All proposals will undergo a peer review by the NJ Creative Arts Therapies Symposium Planning Committee and evaluated on their relevance to the symposium theme and alignment with the knowledge competencies and professional standards of the respective creative arts therapy discipline(s) so participants receive continuing education credits. Preference will be given to NJ Creative Art Therapists and to those presentations that foster interdisciplinary collaboration amongst the creative arts therapies.