Institute for Therapy through the Arts

12/18/2025

Caregiver support matters—and that includes fathers raising children with visible and invisible disabilities.

Within our own leadership, we see firsthand how deeply personal this work can be. Our CEO serves on the board of a father-focused caregiver initiative and is also a parent of a child with special health needs. That lived experience reinforces the importance of peer connection, shared learning, and community-based resources for families navigating complex journeys.

Raising awareness is one way we can continue to center family well-being and caregiver support in our broader community.

Learn more about father-focused caregiver resources here:
🔗 Got4titude

A father helping like-minded father's raising children with disabilities through Got4titude. Click to read Got4titude, by Kirby Rabalais, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.

12/17/2025

We’ve crossed an important milestone! ✨

Thanks to the generosity of our community, ITA has surpassed $30,000 in our Fall Appeal. This progress strengthens access to creative arts therapy and affirms the role of the arts in healing, connection, and care across the lifespan.

Our work continues. With a goal of $100,000, there is still ground to cover—and matching gifts remain in place to double the impact of every contribution.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this effort so far. We invite you to help carry this work forward. 🧡

Give today. Double your impact.

🔗 https://itachicago.givingfuel.com/fallappeal2025

12/15/2025

✨ Early Bird Registration is Now Open! ✨

Registration is officially open for ICAT 2026: Moving Mountains — and early bird pricing is available for a limited time. Join us in Evanston (or virtually) as we gather creative arts therapists, educators, and advocates to explore how creativity drives meaningful change.

🎟️ Save 25% on your conference registration with code 2026CANARYCAT
⏳ Early bird pricing closes February 13, 2026

Secure your spot today:
🔗 itachicago.org/conference

12/11/2025

✨ Your gift now carries twice the impact. ✨

Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, every contribution to ITA’s Fall Appeal will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $50,000.

That means:
💛 $25 becomes $50
💛 $50 becomes $100
💛 $75 becomes $150
💛 $100 becomes $200
💛 $250 becomes $500

Every gift brings us closer to our $100,000 goal and helps protect Creative Arts Therapy for more than 3,000 Chicago Public School students.

In a season shaped by generosity and community, this match opens a powerful door for healing and hope.

Double your impact today:
🔗 https://itachicago.givingfuel.com/fallappeal2025

12/02/2025

Now more than ever, we are called to make a difference.

Each year on Giving Tuesday, millions around the world show up, give back, and spark a wave of generosity that reaches far beyond a single day. Today, we join that movement with a mission close to home: protecting access to creative arts therapy for the children, teens, adults, and older adults who rely on ITA every week.

With federal funding cuts threatening $1.4M in essential support, your gift becomes a lifeline. It helps keep art, dance/movement, drama, and music therapy available in classrooms, community centers, assisted living centers, and our own clinic in Evanston.

We invite you to be part of this global generosity and our local impact. Every gift makes a difference.

Together, we can safeguard the healing power of the arts.

Give today: https://itachicago.givingfuel.com/fallappeal2025
Submit a pledge: https://itachicago.regfox.com/2025-fall-appeal-pledge-form

11/29/2025

We’re entering the final days of November with inspiring momentum.

Thanks to this generous community, we’ve raised $9,805 toward our $15,000 November milestone — the first step toward reaching our $100,000 Fall Appeal goal.

Your support helps protect creative arts therapy in schools and communities across Chicago, especially as federal cuts impact mental health services for children and families.

If you’d like to help us reach the November goal, you can:

🧡 Make a Gift: https://itachicago.givingfuel.com/fallappeal2025
🧡 Submit a 2026 Pledge: https://itachicago.regfox.com/2025-fall-appeal-pledge-form

Every gift and every pledge strengthens ITA’s ability to provide healing, creative, and life-changing services across the lifespan.

We are so grateful for this community. 🧡

11/27/2025

Today, our hearts are full.

As we pause to reflect, we hold deep gratitude for every person who invites ITA into their healing journey. It is a profound privilege to witness your courage, creativity, and resilience as you move toward growth, grounding, and greater well-being.

We are equally grateful for our therapists and staff, whose compassion and artistry support each step of that journey, and for our supporters, whose generosity makes this work possible across every chapter of life.

Creative arts therapy is a place where healing takes shape — through color and movement, rhythm and story — and we are honored to be in community with each of you.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at ITA. 🧡

11/25/2025

At Jackson Elementary, big emotions made the school day overwhelming for Mia and Amy.

Through creative arts therapy, they discovered calm, confidence, and a way to fully participate in learning.

Your support keeps creative arts therapy within reach for students across Chicago.

🧡 Help us reach our November $15K milestone: https://itachicago.givingfuel.com/fallappeal2025

11/24/2025

Creative arts therapy offers students vital tools to regulate emotions, build confidence, and stay engaged in learning — especially when words fall short.

This year’s $1.4 million federal cut has made these services more essential than ever. As we begin Thanksgiving week, we’re reflecting with gratitude on the impact of art, dance/movement, drama, and music therapy, and the many lives touched by these disciplines.

🧡 And today, we’re celebrating a hopeful milestone:
We’ve already raised nearly $8,500 toward our $15,000 November goal.

Your generosity helps keep creative arts therapy in our schools — supporting calm, connection, and growth for students across Chicago.

Help us move closer to our November milestone:
https://itachicago.givingfuel.com/fallappeal2025

11/11/2025

Across Chicago Public Schools, students rely on art, dance/movement, drama, and music therapy to express themselves, build confidence, and find healing through creativity.

But this year, a $1.4 million federal funding cut threatens to take away these vital programs — programs that help students manage emotions, build resilience, and thrive in and beyond the classroom.

At ITA, we know these therapies aren’t extras — they’re essential tools for learning, emotional growth, and mental health. Creative arts therapy gives students a voice when words aren’t enough — and we refuse to let that voice be silenced.

🧡This fall, we’re calling on our community to help us raise $100,000 to keep creative arts therapy thriving in Chicago schools.

Your gift ensures students continue to have a safe space to create, grow, and heal through the arts.

🎭 Give today. Protect creativity. Make healing possible.
👉 bit.ly/itafallappeal2025

11/07/2025

You’re invited to ITA’s Annual Open House on Friday, November 14, 2025, from 12:00–6:30 PM at our Evanston location! 🎨

Come tour our creative arts therapy space, meet the ITA team, and connect with professionals and community partners who share a passion for supporting health and healing through the arts.

✨ Refreshments will be served — registration requested.
🔗 Register here: https://bit.ly/2025-ita-open-house

11/03/2025

📢 Deadline Extended: Call for Papers Now Open Until November 17!

We’ve extended the submission deadline for the 10th Annual Integrated Creative Arts Therapy (ICAT) Conference — giving you a little extra time to share your innovative work with the creative arts therapy community.

Don’t miss this opportunity to present your research, clinical insights, and creative practices at ICAT 2026: Moving Mountains.

🗓️ New Deadline: November 17, 2025
🔗 Submit your proposal today: https://itachicago.org/conference/