NY-FS-45 - Advancing Progress in Corrections: Introducing a Statewide Art Therapy in Prisons Program

Dr. David E. Gussak, PhD, ATR-BC, HLM is Professor for the Florida State University’s Graduate Art Therapy Program and Program Coordinator for the FSU/FL Dept of Correction’s Art Therapy in Prisons program. Dr. Gussak has presented and published extensively internationally and nationally on a myriad of topics, including forensic art therapy, art therapy in forensic settings, with violin and aggressive clients, professional identity, ethics, and supervision. He has held numerous roles for several professional organizations, including the American Art Therapy Association and the Art Therapy Credentials Board and he currently serves on the editorial board for several professional journals. He has also served as a supervisor and mentor for many over the last 30 years.

Casey Barlow, MS, ATR-BC is the Clinical Director of the Florida State University/Florida Department of Corrections Art Therapy in Prisons Program. She also provides individual and group art therapy services to individuals incarcerated at male and female institutions. As a graduate student, she served practicum placements in a level five male prison, a forensic state hospital, and a residential substance use treatment facility. After graduation, she worked as a QMHP on the mental health team at a maximum-security women's prison. In early 2020, she relocated to help establish the FSU/FDC Art Therapy in Prisons Program. As a clinical art therapist, Casey has spent years providing eclectic, client-centered art therapy and dialectical behavior therapy to incarcerated adults with severe and persistent mental illness, especially those with a significant history of trauma. She is a strong advocate for criminal justice reform and is passionate about examining intersectionality. Casey's research interests include art therapy in forensic settings, sex offender treatment, identity reconstruction, trauma transformation, perinatal and pregnancy-related issues while incarcerated, therapeutic uses of labyrinths, mindfulness, and exploration of consciousness.

Evie Soape, ATR, LMHC, is an art therapist with the Art Therapy in Prisons Program developed in collaboration between Florida State University and the Florida Department of Corrections. She provides art therapy services for individuals incarcerated in two male correctional institutions in North Florida. Ms. Soape obtained a master’s in art therapy at Florida State University where she expanded her interest in forensic psychology and trauma transformation by incorporating knowledge of art therapy practice and approaches such as cognitive-behavioral art therapy and mindfulness-based art therapy, among others. She continued to nourish this interest upon entering the workforce after graduation. Ms. Soape worked for several years at a non-profit community mental health facility, providing therapeutic services to individuals, families, couples, and groups in outpatient and in-home settings. Ms. Soape is honored to serve as a team member for the Art Therapy in Prisons Program and is excited to bring the benefits of art therapy to individuals housed within Florida’s correctional institutions, as well as contribute to the knowledge base on the efficacy of art therapy in forensics.