Transcript Find Your Thrill on Capitol Hill

Find Your Thrill on Capitol Hill
Goals:
 Protocols and process for conducting
Congressional office visit
 Review of steps to take today
 Key talking points for today’s visits
 Staying on message
 Connecting to representative and/or staffer
 Materials
 What’s included and how to use in visit
Find Your Thrill on Capitol Hill
Purpose of Advocacy Day
 Take primary messages of profession, which become more
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powerful because of multiplicity and more catalytic to start
conversations among policy leaders
Comes directly from actual professionals in field – not just
lobbyists, not just paid staff
Power as constituent – your Senator or Representative wants
your support!
Office knows you have taken time and risk in making
appointment and appreciate the effort
Can follow up in home office and continue building relationship
Protocols and Process Preparation
 Schedule your Appointment
 Identify your Issue
 Research & Understand your Issue
 Identify your “Ask”
 Research your Congress Member: identify common
interests & priorities
 Prepare Materials:
 to Bring
 to Leave Behind
 Practice your Handshake!
Key Talking Point #1
Major initiative – Recognize profession of art therapists
 Bills where art therapists (licensed as art therapists or
creative arts therapists) are not included, we want to
change legislation to make sure this group is included
 SUPPORT & REVISE S 604 Medicare Mental Health
Services, Revise to Include Art Therapists & Creative
Arts Therapists
Key Talking Point #2
Major initiative –Healthcare Reform impacting art
therapists
 Resist attempts to repeal Healthcare Reform Act
 Specifically, healthcare workforce issues (i.e., who can
provide healthcare), educational assistance (i.e., loan
forgiveness), and public healthcare programs (i.e.,
especially where art therapists work)
 OPPOSE HR 1214, TO REPEAL FUNDING OF
SCHOOL HEALTH CENTERS
Key Talking Points #3
Major initiative – Services provided to Veterans and
military families
 Support Mental Health and other rehabilitative
services initiatives related to this population,
specifically for veterans returning with PTSD and TBI
 Many art therapists do work with this population –
know trend of using art therapy is increasing, as
more professionals and recipients realize the
benefits of using art therapy and as there are more
needing these services
All Key Talking Points
 Emphasize ALL affect most vulnerable populations (those
who cannot afford or access services or who do not have
voice)
 Emphasize profession of art therapy
 Art therapists are healthcare professionals with minimum of
master’s degree in art therapy or related field. They work in
variety of settings to help people address health and well
being. Art Therapy is necessary health profession that
demonstrates power of art in healing.
 Benefits becoming more known across healthcare field
 Becoming more included in teams by other healthcare
professionals
Protocols and Process Speaking
 Introductions
 Advocacy talking points
 Connecting to Senator/Representative and/or staffer
 Feeling confident as professional art therapist
 Listening is our strength but now is time to speak!
 Staying on message
 How to reply to questions when you don’t know
the answer
Following Up
 Thank all staff as you leave office
 Send thank you note afterward to Congress
person and to key staff you met
 When you return to home state, make
appointment to visit same Congress member
again in your state to discuss state issues
FUTURE ADVOCACY
What can Association members do locally to reinforce
Association’s status as meaningful political
presence?
 Organize infrastructure to proactively respond to
legislative changes
 Members and chapters can support national
initiatives as constituents of their U.S.
Representatives and Senators
 Representation on GAC important!
Questions?
Find Your Thrill on Capitol Hill
How many participants are going on visit to Senator
and/or Representative during this conference?
If not, why not?
Thank you!
PP 6207
for CECs