Washington, DC - Friday, Second Lady Karen Pence traveled to San Antonio, Texas where she visited the Tracy’s Kids Art Therapy program at Methodist Children’s Hospital.

Upon arrival,  Mrs. Pence toured the Pediatric Oncology unit and observed an art therapy session with young patients.  Afterwards, the Second Lady participated in a roundtable discussion with the hospital’s leadership and staff to learn more about the impact and mission of the Tracy’s Kids Art Therapy program.

Mrs. Pence first became aware of art therapy more than 10 years ago when she visited Tracy’s Kids Pediatric Art Therapy program at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, DC. In 2011, she joined the board of Tracy’s Kids. The art therapy program exists in seven locations in the United States.

“Tracy’s Kids Art Therapy program provides an invaluable opportunity for young patients to work with an art therapist to cope with the emotional stress and trauma of cancer and its treatment with the use of art,” said Mrs. Pence. “I am encouraged by the stories I heard during today’s visit, which illustrates the positive difference art therapy is making in these children’s lives. I applaud art therapist, Courtney Martin and the staff at Methodist Children’s Hospital who are undoubtedly playing an important role in the healing of the children.”

“Methodist Children’s Hospital believes in a holistic approach to healing our patients and the experience provided through programs such as Tracy’s Kids is invaluable to promoting their mental and spiritual well-being,” said Robert Lenza, CEO of Methodist Children’s Hospital. “To have the Second Lady visit our facility to show her support for these significantly impactful programs is an immense honor and we are so privileged to host her.”

About Art Therapy

Second Lady Karen Pence chose one initiative to champion, and it is art therapy. She calls her initiative, Art Therapy: Healing with the HeART.  According to the American Art Therapy Association, art therapy is an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship. Professional art therapists who are experts in human development, psychological, and counseling theories and techniques facilitate Art therapy. For more information about the art therapy profession, visit https://arttherapy.org/ .