Advocacy in any form is a grass roots and collaborative effort. It requires the involvement of our members, and it asks us to build coalitions with other fields in order to be successful. Through member involvement and coalition building, NADTA has made progress on advocating for laws that include drama therapy. Examples are the New York State LCAT license and the inclusion funding for creative arts therapies in the Older Americans Act.

The Government Affairs Committee has put together some practical tools to help you on your way to becoming an effective advocate for the drama therapy profession. If you have suggestions for additional tools or resources, please contact [email protected].

Please also see the Drama Therapy LPC Group on Facebook for up to the minute conversations on licensure and advocacy topics!

The North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA) is part of the annual National Arts Action Summit sponsored by Americans for the Arts. All NADTA members, including students, are encouraged to attend. This is an amazing opportunity to learn to navigate the political process and build the relationships needed to obtain goals. Contact the NADTA Government Affairs Chair to join the NADTA delegation.

Many States also have state arts advocacy day. Drama therapists are encouraged to attend arts advocacy day in their states, as this is an opportunity to make connections in your state legislature and to start building the coalitions that are needed to gain licensure and to be included in state and local funding. 

The Canadian Conference of the Arts website features an excellent “Advocates Toolkit” with good strategies for advocates for drama therapists.

The Canadian Arts Coalition is a group of artists, business leaders, and volunteers that advocates for the arts. Last year, the CAC organized “Arts Day on Parliament Hill,” during which NADTA’s Government Affairs Committee lobbied Members of Parliament (MPs) to increase funding for drama and other creative arts therapies in Canada, especially for veterans.

NADTA participates in the annual Arts Day on Parliament Hill organized by the Canadian Arts Coalition.  For those who would like to join, please contact the NADTA Government Affairs Committee Chair.