Free Expressive Arts Therapies
Evidence-based Expressive Arts Therapies designed to reduce your depression, anxiety, or suicidal ideation while strengthening your cognitive engagement and community reintegration after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) or in Concussion Recovery are available at no cost. Services are fully funded and available to adolescents and adults in Richmond and Charlottesville.
Who Can Participate
Many people who could benefit from these services may not realize they qualify. Individuals who have experienced a concussion at any point in their life may be eligible for an assessment and a series of therapy sessions through the program.
Individual services are available to adolescents and adults with a history of a concussion, TBI, or SCI. People who experience lingering symptoms of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, executive functioning challenges, memory impairment, attention deficits, and reduced community engagement often find relief at the end of our sessions. Participants begin with an initial assessment at one of our therapy locations, followed by up to eight therapy sessions designed to support their specific goals and needs.
Expressive Arts Therapies target the lasting emotional and cognitive effects of neurotrauma and aid in concussion recovery. Structured interventions are designed to improve sustained attention, support memory retrieval, strengthen executive functioning, and increase emotional regulation. Music therapy, art therapy or expressive arts therapy sessions are goal-oriented and adapted to each person’s needs, creativity, and functional level.
Service funding supports expressive arts therapies group services as well. Group therapy can be scheduled at your facility for free if the majority of your group membership qualifies for services. Services can be for a limited series of sessions or on an ongoing basis depending on needs.
Measurable Outcomes
Program outcomes are tracked using standardized screening tools, including the PHQ-9, and structured participant evaluations. Data demonstrates reductions in depressive symptoms, decreased anxiety, improved mood stability, and increased engagement in therapeutic activities. Participants also report decreased feelings of isolation and increased sense of connection following group interventions.
Through our collaboration with Sportable, program leadership reported overwhelmingly positive feedback in 2025. The program was among the only winter offerings to achieve consecutive weeks of 100% participation rates, demonstrating strong engagement and meaningful impact among athletes with disabilities.
Now Serving Charlottesville
Services have expanded into Charlottesville through partnerships with Region Ten and the Blue Ridge Center. Survivors in this region now have access to structured individual and group Expressive Arts Therapy interventions, increasing access to specialized neurotrauma-informed mental health support.
Integrated Clinical & Community Partnerships
We collaborate with rehabilitation hospitals, behavioral health providers, residential programs, and community organizations to integrate Expressive Arts Therapies within existing systems of care. These partnerships expand access, strengthen continuity, and ensure services are delivered in settings where survivors already receive support.
Clinical & Rehabilitation Partners
- Sheltering Arms Institute
- Region Ten
- VA Hospital
- Blue Ridge Day Center
Residential & Long-Term Care Partners
- The Virginia Home
- The Mill House
Community & Specialized Support Partners
- Sportable
- Safe Harbor
- RVA Street Singers
- Tree of Life
Professional Education & Outreach
In addition to direct services, we provide educational workshops and experiential trainings throughout Central Virginia. Outreach efforts have reached more than 140 professionals and community members, generating sustained referral pathways.
Continuity of Care Beyond Grant Funding
Participants are supported in transitioning to self-pay or insurance-based services when clinically appropriate. Multiple clients have continued services beyond grant funding, reflecting therapeutic value and measurable progress.
We are now enrolling more Virginians in free services! Expressive Arts Therapies are funded through the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative and available while grant funding remains active. Early referral is encouraged due to high utilization rates.
Services are funded by RFA# 28493-02 from the Commonwealth Neurotrauma Initiative (CNI) Trust Fund and managed by the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS). The contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CNI Trust Fund or DARS.