The Today Program had an art therapy class recently at the Gordon Center for Events that involved making collages with pages from books and magazines.
The Today Program is a branch of Missing Murdered Indigenous People Chahta that provides mental health support services.
According to the MMIW Chahta website, the program provides a welcoming space for anyone seeking mental or emotional support. Each week, they gather to share a meal, connect as a community, and create a place where every voice belongs. Their team provides traumainformed guidance, peer support, and practical tools for navigating daily challenges.
“Whether someone needs grounded conversation, or simply a moment to breathe, The Today Program offers consistency, compassion, and a safe circle to be seen and supported, today and every day,” the website states.
Aaron Newkirk is the founder and president of The Today Program, and he said the organization works within Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women Chahta.
“That’s a foundation that I’ve been with for the last four years, and we specialize in trying to help people with mental health issues as well as we try to work with suicide prevention,” Newkirk said. “We also have done a couple of different things like this, put on different art therapies, different events to help with community outreach.”
The organization has also helped with searches for missing people and recently began talking to children at schools to make sure they understand where their safe space is.
“Making them understand how important mental health is and letting them know that yes, a lot of people don’t want to talk about it, but suicide is a real thing and it’s something that’s affecting more young people nowadays than ever and so that’s our main mission is just letting people know that they’re not alone,” Newkirk said.
Newkirk said that Shawano Mattwaoshshe, who owns a studio called Artful Healing in Kansas, helped put on the event for the second year. She is a member of the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas, and is a certifi ed Therapeutic Art Practitioner, speaker, and facilitator known for her work as an emotional regulation and self-growth expert.
“So, what we do here is just try to help people process or understand their emotions through art,” Newkirk said. “It’s a good way to let out anything that they’ve been holding onto for how ever long period of time. Plus, it’s a good way to get exposure out in the community for us. It’s also a good way for the people that are struggling or maybe having issues, it’s a good way for them to meet other people.
“I just want everybody to know that you do matter and it’s okay to reach out. There is help out there.”
Sara Solis, networking and PR manager for The Today Program, said art therapy involves using magazines and books to rip, tear and release different emotions in a therapeutic sense.
“We’ll make a collage of different things that we’re feeling and experiencing so she (Shawano) asked us to come over towards the magazines and books here that she’s brought in and to gather things that draw to us and so for me, nature was really one of the things that I drew to,” Solis said. “So, I gathered some different images based on that and hopefully, it aligns with what we work through tonight,” Solis said.
In a social media post after the event, MMIW Chahta said they were able to work through and understand emotions through art.
“A big thank you to Artful Healing for coming down and working through this with us,” MMIW Chahta said. “We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking the silence surrounding mental health and saving lives through suicide prevention. Our mission is to educate, support, and empower individuals and communities to prioritize mental well-being.”
