GREENSBURG, PA- The Seton Hill College Graduate Art Therapy Program and the HERO Project, a collaborative of Westmoreland County human service providers, are teaming up to sponsor a conference entitled “Childhood Sexual Abuse: Recognize it, Stop it, Treat it”, on Saturday, April 21st and Sunday, April 22nd at the Seton Hill campus. The Conference includes workshops, presentations, a performance and an exhibit of Survivor Art. Cathy Malchiodi, a licensed clinical counselor and registered art therapist, Director of the Institute of Arts and Health in Salt Lake City, Utah, is the keynote speaker. “This is the first conference the Art Therapy Program has co-hosted with another constituent,” said Nina Denninger, associate professor of art therapy and director of the art therapy program at Seton Hill. “We are expecting 140 people to attend including local mental health workers, educators, health service specialists, art therapists and interested parents.” The Conference will address the symptoms of child sexual abuse, meaningful intervention, effective treatment methods and the importance of acting to protect children. Information will be provided in a variety of forms, including experiential workshops, case study presentations, a one-woman performance piece that chronicles her tale of surviving childhood sexual abuse and an exhibit of artwork created by survivors. Presenters include psychologists, counselors, art therapists, graduates of the Seton Hill College graduate art therapy program and abuse survivors. The art exhibit, which will be on display in the Harlan Gallery on campus from Thursday, April 5th - Sunday, April 22nd, will include pieces from a Survivor’s Art show curated by “Joining Together to Stop Sexual Abuse,” a grass roots advocacy group based in Cleveland, OH. The show includes paintings, drawings, sculpture and framed poetry. In addition, T-shirts created by local survivors and their families, part of an earlier national effort known as the “Clothesline Project” will be on display, courtesy of the Center Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. Gallery hours: Mondays - Thursdays 5:30 p.m.- 8:00 p.m., Fridays 1:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m. and Sundays 1:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. Keynote speaker Malchiodi is a licensed art therapist and registered expressive arts therapist with over 20 years experience and holds additional credentials in clinical counseling and cognitive-behavioral therapy. She is the Director of the Institute of Arts and Health in Salt Lake City, Utah, an international training and research institute dedicated to incorporating the arts as an integral part of healthcare, and was editor of Arts Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association for nine years. In 1980 Malchiodi created and developed and art therapy program for children from violent homes in Salt Lake City, Utah. This work became the basis for the best-selling book, Breaking the Silence: Art Therapy with Children of Violent Homes. In addition to her work in art therapy, she is a painter and multi-media artist with art work in many private collections. The HERO project is a collaborative of human service and healthcare providers, county agencies and private industry. The mission of the HERO Project is to reduce the incidence of child sexual abuse in Westmoreland County by increasing awareness of child sexual abuse and encouraging adults to protect children by intervening and reporting suspected child sexual abuse. The HERO Project collaborative partners include: Adelphoi, Inc; Adelphoi Village; The Center Against Domestic and Sexual Violence; General Carbide Corporation; Latrobe Area Hospital Emergency Department; ParentWISE, Inc; St. Vincent College Prevention Projects; Westmoreland County Children's Bureau; and Westmoreland County Juvenile Probation Department. Fees for the Conference are $65 for one day or $75 for both days; reduced student fees are $45 for one day or $50 for both days. Lunch is $4.20 for one day or $8.40 for both days. For more information or to request a registration form, please contact Nina Denninger at 724-830-1047 or e-mail at denninger@setonhill.edu.