N/NY-SS-221 - School Based Art Therapy Practices to Ameliorate Symptoms of Anxiety

Marygrace Berberian, MA, MSW, LCAT, ATR-BC, LCSW, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Graduate Art Therapy Program at New York University. Marygrace has established school based art therapy initiatives throughout New York City for at-risk children and families for almost 20 years. Ms. Berberian is also the Director of NYU Art Therapy in the Schools program. She led a research initiative examining the impact of art therapy on the self-esteem, affect regulation and impulse control of public school students. She has published work on the use of art therapy for post disaster recovery and also implications for cross-cultural practice. Marygrace has presented at interdisciplinary conferences nationally and internationally.

Marygrace has trained clinicians of other disciplines advocating for the use of the creative arts therapies as a highly efficient treatment modality. She formerly developed and directed the creative arts therapy program at several community based agencies, working with children and adolescents at risk, formerly homeless and mentally ill adults and survivors of cancer. Ms. Berberian is also trained as a Sandplay Therapy Practioner and maintains a private practice in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Currently, Marygrace is a student in the PhD Creative Arts Therapies Program at Drexel University examining artwork created by military service members.

Kristin is a licensed creative arts therapist and board-certified registered art therapist. She has worked as a Senior Art Therapist with the NYU Art Therapy in Schools program for the past 2 years. Kristin studied Psychology and Anthropology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and Art Therapy at the NYU Graduate Art Therapy Program in New York. Domestically, Kristin has worked with adolescents in residential care, court-involved and court-mandated youth, children of incarcerated parents, and acutely traumatized children. Her international arts-based initiatives include working with developmentally disabled young people in Ghana, orphaned youth in South Africa, and refugee families in Mozambique. Kristin believes in broad application of art making for empowerment and healing.