On March 16th guests were greeted by an explosion of color and creativity when they arrived at the lobby of Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. Members from the department of psychiatry transformed the lobby into an impressive art gallery to raise awareness for Creative Arts Therapy week. The name of the art exhibit was Mandalas, Explorations and other Self-Reflections. The general public and members of the press were invited to view the masterpieces, mingle and participate in interactive projects at the reception.
While the art was indeed beautiful, what made each piece special was the fact that they were anonymously submitted by patients participating in creative arts therapy at the hospital. According to licensed creative arts therapists Michelle Hololob and Heather Grey; these patients were happy to submit their work because they wanted others to know that creative arts therapy has been a positive experience for them.
Dr. Seeth Vivek; Chairman of Psychiatry and Tony Maffia; Vice President of Psychiatry, as well as Grey and Hololob all conducted interviews with the media and educated everyone about the benefits of creative arts therapy in treating mental illnesses.
Creative arts therapy encourages self- exploration, helps organize emotions and has a profoundly positive effect on mental well-being. 
Patients often begin therapy feeling unhappy, conflicted or isolated but by creating art they are able to share their feelings, engage with therapists and begin the process of recovery. It is for these reasons and others that this form of therapy has been an integral part of the Department of Psychiatry at Jamaica Hospital for nearly 20 years.
The event was a success and a visual sensation. However, the most important achievement for the psychiatry department was being able to use art as a platform to educate the public that mental illness should not be stigmatized and is nothing to be ashamed of. “There is still a stigma attached to mental illness,” said Heather Grey-as quoted in the Times Ledger. “We are using art as a platform to disseminate that stigma.”
Click here to read the full Times Ledger article:
http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2015/12/mentalart_tl_2015_03_20_q.html
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