OMA Certification Course - Virginia

Become a Certified OMA Facilitator!

Art for the Journey is pleased to offer a robust certification course to train and certify individuals to facilitate the Scripps Gerontology Center - Miami University Ohio developed "Opening Minds Through Art" (OMA) program. The award winning OMA program was founded by Dr. Elizabeth Lokon in Ohio over a decade ago and has now grown to an international success as a "best practice" in providing well-being for elders living with dementia, especially in a nursing home or assisted living setting.

Art for the Journey (AFJ) has delivered OMA to Virginians through a successful program at Saint Mary's Woods Retirement Community in Richmond, VA. Beginning in 2016, AFJ partnered with Dr. Lokon to train and certify others to deliver OMA.  To date, Art for the Journey has certified over 100 individuals accross the USA and Canada. Art for the Journey is honored to continue to help others become certified to facilitate OMA so that thousands more individuals can receive the positive impact!

The OMA Course includes a 13-15 hour online class directly through the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University, Ohio and mentored by trainers from Art for the Journey.  An in-person practicum will occur after the online course to provide hands on experience in creating art projects, recruiting and training volunteers, and learning precisely how to deliver the OMA program at your facility, or one on one.  The cost of the course is $750 per person.  This includes the online course, the practicum, and resource materials such as a binder with 20 art projects, lists of resources for materials, a volunteer training manual, a dvd copy of a pre-recorded series of lectures by Dr. Elizabeth Lokon for training volunteers, two thumb drives with training and video resources and clickable links to art supplies, and online registration as a certified OMA Facilitator.  The OMA certification course also provides CEU's in NCCDP and NCCAP.

DATES:  Online Course begins October 11, 2021. Richmond, Virginia Practicum:  November 11-12, 2021

*Details about materials to be mailed, description of the practicum and hotel accommodation suggestions to be emailed upon registration.

SCHOLARSHIPs through Leading Age Virginia's Civil Monetary Reinvestment Funds:

LeadingAge Virginia received a grant from the Civil Monetary Reinvestment Fund to administer a three year grant, called Opening Minds through Art (OMA) to be carried out by Art for the Journey. OMA is an award-winning evidence-based, intergenerational art-making program for people with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of neurocognitive disorders.  It's failure-free program provides opportunities for creative self expression and social engagement for people with dementia.

When registering for the course through the Leading Age funds, nursing home participants must complete the application to be accepted to receive the scholarship and start up art supply funding.  Go to www.artforthejourney for more information.

Choose "VA CMP OMA GRANT"  if you have been accepted for grant funding by LeadingAge Virginia and Art for the Journey!