World Art Therapy Conference 2026

Peer-to-Peer Encouragement: Why VMHPAA Members Should Consider Attending

The World Art Therapy Conference 2026 offers a rich, international forum for practitioners interested in creative, embodied, and non-verbal approaches to mental health and wellbeing. Bringing together art therapists, mental health professionals, researchers, educators, and community practitioners from around the world, the conference explores how arts-based practices support healing, expression, and resilience across diverse populations.

For VMHPAA members, this event is especially valuable if your work includes trauma-informed care, lived-experience engagement, community mental health, or clients who struggle to access traditional talk-based therapies. Sessions explore the intersection of creativity, culture, identity, neuroscience, and therapeutic practice, offering perspectives that complement and deepen vocational mental health work.

Beyond learning new tools, the conference provides space to reflect on how people heal, how meaning is made through creative expression, and how practitioners can work more inclusively across language, culture, and ability. It’s also an opportunity to connect with…