Far Conservatory of Therapeutic and Performing Arts

FAR Therapeutic Arts and Recreation gives adults and children with special needs a way to express themselves, explore their artistic gifts and communicate in new ways. Through creative arts therapies, FAR clients learn much more than how to play a musical instrument or paint a picture. They gain ground developmentally and socially. They meet therapeutic goals. They make friends. They create. They connect.

The stated mission of FAR is to promote understanding and provide education for children and adults with special needs through therapeutic opportunities in the arts, recreation and leisure activities that enrich its clients, their families, and the greater community.

The few dozen words in our mission statement describe what our organization does but those words can’t fully illustrate the magic that happens when a creative arts therapist and a client work together. In that unique space, Laura found the confidence to sing at her school’s talent show. Leo, who was so sensitive to noise that his first audience was asked to show support with a thumbs up sign, now delights at the sound of applause and cheers. Shane began to shine when his dreaded therapy appointments were replaced with music and dance. Our clients express their sadness, joy and sometimes silliness through their art, just like any other artist, and their audience understands exactly the emotion they are trying to convey.

Giving more people with special needs the chance to express themselves through art is at the heart of our mission. And with the help of FAR art therapists, the skills our clients learn as they create art will serve them in many other parts of their lives.

Open since 1951, FAR exists as the primary local resource for creative and recreational therapy for special needs individuals in Southeast Michigan. With the invaluable help of over 20 highly-trained professionals, we evaluate clients to assess their individual needs and sensitivities before developing the treatment program which best suits them. We give our clients access to a variety of artistic disciplines and recreational activities – including music, visual arts, and dance/movement and recreational therapies – in one-on-one and group settings. We additionally have partnerships with local schools and school districts to introduce special needs students to artistic and recreational therapy within their familiar educational environment. We reach 1,400 adults and children each year. While our client base reflects a diverse set of needs, a plurality of 43% of our clients carry a primary diagnosis of autism. Though we traditionally offer in-person treatment, the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic have led us to develop new strategies to reach our clients remotely, and we currently provide HIPAA-compliant virtual services along with in-person sessions. Our mission is to promote understanding and provide education for children and adults with special needs through therapeutic opportunities in the arts, recreation and leisure that enrich our clients, their families and the greater community.

The work we do offers a vital outlet for our clients. Art and recreational therapy provide significant physiological benefits to individuals with special needs, helping them to develop motor and sensory skills, and to improve their ability to communicate with the world around them. Moreover, it gives them the tools they need to comprehend and master their own emotions. It gives them the experience to recognize their own skills and potential, and the confidence to accomplish goals they may never have considered pursuing. Many of our clients who first came to us as children continue to work with us as adults. The joy and pride we witness in them, we also see reflected in the eyes of their relatives and caregivers, creating the incredible network of support that is the FAR family.

FAR serves over 1400 clients annually (1017 clients under the age of 18 years old), who range in age from 3 years old to 74 years old. We serve them through a variety of educational programs and collaborate with many other organizations in the process.

FAR currently offers programs at three locations: in Oakland County at First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham, where we have been working for 35 years and in Macomb County at St. Thomas Community Presbyterian. FAR is a non-sectarian organization and provides therapy to clients of all faiths but we happily partner with these churches as they see our work as part of their mission of inclusion and do not charge us rent or utilities to use their spaces. Today, in partnership with the DSO, FAR is providing music therapy at the famed Orchestra Hall in Detroit; the beautiful home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. This community partnership opens access to arts therapies for residents of Wayne County at this spectacular venue, including free, safe parking for FAR clients.
School-based programs:

FAR provides creative arts therapy programs to students with special needs through contracts with eight public school districts. FAR therapists work with special needs students in more than 30 different individual schools. The districts we work in are diverse and serve students of many races, ethnicity's and income levels.

Every day at FAR, we see the transformative power art and recreational therapy can have on an individual. As they learn and encounter new disciplines – and gain greater experience with familiar but previously inaccessible activities – their belief in their own abilities soars, and we begin to see new and exciting facets to their personalities. As their confidence and self-regard increase, so do their interpersonal relationships with their families and caregivers. At FAR, our work to improve the lives of our clients serves as a conduit to greater understanding and engagement with the community at large.