Our Mission & Vision
Our Mission: Northeast Ohio Healing Arts Alliance seeks to promote awareness of and integrate the arts and expressive therapies into mental health treatment and overall wellness. Our focus is to enhance understanding and acceptance of the benefits of the arts and expressive therapies including prevention, coping, and healing.
Our Vision: The Northeast Ohio Healing Arts Alliance seeks to ensure that the arts and expressive therapies are available to every individual with mental health needs who might derive benefit. Through collaboration, education, awareness, and advocacy, we will erase barriers to access for consumers and practitioners.
Our Vision: The Northeast Ohio Healing Arts Alliance seeks to ensure that the arts and expressive therapies are available to every individual with mental health needs who might derive benefit. Through collaboration, education, awareness, and advocacy, we will erase barriers to access for consumers and practitioners.
Our History
The Northeast Ohio Healing Arts Alliance was founded on April 17, 2013 through a generous grant from the Peg's Foundation to the Expressive Therapy Center at Akron Children's Hospital. The hopes for the alliance were to bring together individuals interested and working in expressive therapy and behavioral health fields to network, communicate, and promote awareness of expressive therapy and behavioral health treatments for the community.
Members
Our members include art therapists, music therapists, social workers, physicians, mental health therapists, writers, poets, community members.
Our Steering Committee
The NEOHAA Steering Committee oversees policies and direction of the Alliance. Steering Committee members have an interest or experience in the expressive arts and/or mental health fields and the committee is made up of members equally representing the expressive arts community and the mental health community. The committee meets at least 10 times per year and consists of several active subcommittees and workgroups. In addition to oversight of the Alliance, the Steering Committee plans and organizes quarterly education events that are open to the community. Steering Committee members may serve a two-year term with the option to renew up to three terms. After the term limit is reached, members may be reappointed after a one-year hiatus and serve up to three more terms.
Officers:
Chair: Carrie Burrier, MLS, Youth Services Coordinator, Akron-Summit County Public Library
Co-Chair:
Coordinator: Sharetta Howze, Executive Director, Hidden Tr3sures; Founder, Cr3ative Expressions Brain Injury Support Group; Owner, Tr3sure Chest, LLC, Poet
Co-Coordinator: Jenna Savago, MA, LPC, CCTP, Outpatient Therapist, Coleman Behavioral Health
Steering Committee Members:
Cat Derrick, Development Associate, Cleveland Clinic Akron General Philanthropy Institute
Elizabeth Germano, MM,MT-BC, NICU-MT, Music Therapy Coordinator, Emily Cooper Welty Expressive Therapy Center,
Akron Children's Hospital
Sarah Gaither, MT-BC, Music Therapist, Cleveland Clinic Akron General
Beth Gracey, LISW, Children’s Program Coordinator, ADM Board
Emily Hionides-Horner, MSW, LISW-S, Encompass Counseling-Therapist, University of Akron-Adjunct Professor
Molly (Mary) Kometiani, MA, ATR-BC, LPCC, Art Therapist and Owner, Art Therapy Heals, LLC
Chris Miller, Communications and Community Investment Officer, Akron Community Foundation
Disclaimer: The pages on this web site are for education and informational purposes only. Do not use this material to diagnose or treat a health problem; it is not a substitute for professional medical care. If you have concerns about a mental health problem, consult your doctor. This site is not meant as a substitute for the important healthcare discussions that should occur with health care providers. No liability is assumed by the Northeast Ohio Healing Arts Alliance for any damages resulting from use or access to information posted on this website