FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Phillip Speiser, Ph.D.
(617) 288-5858 ext. 18
pspeiser@biat.org

HELP AVAILABLE FOR MANAGING GRIEF, ANXIETY, AND STRESS DURING TIME OF NATIONAL TRAUMA
Non-profit organization makes offer to community groups, schools, and daycare sites

BOSTON-September 19, 2001-The Boston Institute for Arts Therapy (BIAT) announced today that it is offering consultation and counseling, free of charge, to groups of children or adults who may need help in understanding and expressing their feelings about the tragic events of September 11 and the ongoing national trauma. BIAT's Executive Director Phillip Speiser is reaching out to communities and organizations throughout eastern Massachusetts.

"Through arts therapy, people can come together and engage in activities that help them understand and express their feelings, begin a healing process, and build a stronger community," said Speiser. "Our Institute has 20 years of experience in music, movement, art, and drama therapies that we can offer to schools, daycare facilities, community centers, and other organizations that may want assistance in organizing activities to help people deal with grief, loss, anxiety, and stress."

Current reports about the challenge that the country faces predict that the nation is involved in a long struggle that is likely to dominate the news and touch young and old alike through constant television, radio, and newspaper coverage. Further, families may face long and troubling periods of separation as reservists are called to active duty. "The arts are powerful tools for facilitating communication, human development, and change," said Speiser. "We want the communities we serve to know that the Boston Institute for Arts Therapy is here for them, if we are needed."

For more information on how BIAT can help, organizations may contact BIAT Executive Director Phillip Speiser at 617-288-5858, extension 18, or BIAT Clinical Programs Director Karen Wise at 617-288-5858, extension 17.

Founded in 1982, BIAT is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals and communities through therapeutic and educational arts programs. BIAT currently serves approximately 3,000 children, teens, adults, and seniors in 35 cities and towns throughout eastern Massachusetts. Among a wide range of programs, arts therapists from the BIAT support child development in preschool and school settings, bring relief to traumatized children and their mothers in shelters for the abused and the homeless, provide alternatives for inner-city teens coping with violence and other negative influences, and provide support to war refugees adjusting to their new home. BIAT is supported through individual and corporate donations and foundation grants.