NY-FS-45 - Advancing Progress in Corrections: Introducing a Statewide Art Therapy in Prisons Program
Recognizing what art therapy can offer their inmate population, the Florida Department of Corrections contracted the Florida State University Art Therapy Program to develop the FSU/FL-DOC Art Therapy in Prisons Program in which full-time art therapists were hired to provide art therapy for young inmates to help overcome their challenges.
Dr. David Gussak
PhD, ATR-BC, HLM
Florida State University
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
Evie Soape
Art Therapist, Art Therapy in Prisons Program
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.
