Michelle Torrech Pérez

Michelle Torrech Pérez is an art therapist in the Florida State University/Florida Department of Corrections Art Therapy in Prisons Program. She provides individual and group art therapy to prison inmates in two male correctional institutions in Region 1. Ms. Torrech also serves as a clinical on-site supervisor for FSU Masters-level art therapy students completing their last year of practicum experience with the Art Therapy in Prisons Program.

After completing a Bachelors of Art with a Concentration in Art Therapy from The University of Tampa in 2016, Ms. Torrech finished a Masters of Science in Art Therapy from Florida State University in 2019. During her time in FSU, she completed practicum experiences specializing in developmental diagnoses within a school setting, older adult populations, and museum-based art therapy. Subsequently, she worked as a Rehabilitation Art Therapist at a forensic psychiatric hospital. As an art therapist and on-site practicum supervisor in her current role, Ms. Torrech aims to create a positive impact to those served, expand art therapy in forensics and related settings, and facilitate valuable learning experiences for students.

While expansive in her passions, Ms. Torrech’s areas of interest include the eclectic and person-centered approaches to art therapy as well as the use of an open studio to promote autonomy, exploration, creative problem-solving, self-empowerment, and community. Other foci include the intersubjective framework for the therapeutic alliance, the application of cultural humility and intersectionality, and the consideration of wellness, resilience, and self-compassion for both clinicians and participants.