Recent Job Placements for Summer 2016 Art Therapy Masters Graduates

The FSU Department of Art Education’s Art Therapy Masters Program provides the needed preparation, practice, and tools for students to succeed in the art therapy field and related professional endeavors after graduation. We proudly share statements from some of our Summer 2016 Art Therapy master’s graduates that describe their current occupational placements and goals.

Katie Stephenson

I am a Mental Health Professional at Milestones Mental Health Agency. I go out into schools across the NOLA metro area to do counseling and art therapy with children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders. I also work alongside their family to offer insight through art therapy directives. My wish is to introduce art-making as a coping skill to the youth I work with, and educate school personnel and parents about the benefits of art therapy.

 

I’m working for the Miami-Dade Public School District as an Art Therapist. I work with Exceptional Student Education (ESE) students that are part of the EBD (emotional/behavioral) program. All of the EBD students either have counseling or art therapy on their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). My duties include facilitating art therapy and counseling sessions for individuals and groups. Additionally, I’m there to help with any crisis that may arise. I am also part of a team that meets to discuss students’ progress and their IEPs. I currently work in a K-8th center and an elementary school; however, I could potentially work with students from any grade (K-12th). I’m also trying to gain licensure for both ATR and LMHC. Art therapists in the Miami-Dade school system play a huge part by working with EBD students all around the district who have had art therapy added to their IEP because regular counseling has not been effective or beneficial for the students’ individual needs. I work with others on a team, such as social workers and counselors.

Jessica Staley

I am currently working two part-time positions for the Child Protection Center (CPC) organization in Sarasota, Florida. My first job is as the Safe Exchange Coordinator for their Supervised Visitation and Exchange Program. In this position, I manage all exchanges for families that have been impacted by domestic violence and require a safe place to transfer their child/children between the two parents. I also attend court weekly and seek out other agencies to let families know about our services. In addition, I just got another position with CPC as a therapist for the sexual abuse treatment program (SATP). In that position, I will be working with children that have been abused, the non-offending caregivers, and siblings to provide trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) treatment. I will be able to integrate art therapy into this model and can’t wait to start seeing clients!

Grace Chartier

I was recently hired by Play Big Therapy and Learning Center as an art therapist.
Play Big is an organization that works with children and adolescents on the autism spectrum and with related disorders (such as ADHD, ODD, CD, etc). They work in a holistic manner, employing occupational and physical therapists as well as speech therapists, play therapists, and art therapists to work with the children on a variety of goals. Since I am new, I am still building my client load, but I work with the other art therapist, Dr. Zettler, during a weekly “Boys’ Night” group, which is a lot of fun! The boys in the group work together on a variety of activities such as games, art directives, and a shared meal to work
on social skills. It is really amazing to see them work through their problems and achieve daily successes (however small they may seem). I am looking forward to being able to work one-on-one with my own clients and maybe starting a weekly “Girls’ Night.” In the meantime, I am just thankful to be a part of the team and am enjoying learning about Play Big’s unique approach and the sometimes-challenging (but always interesting) population they serve.

The FSU Department of Art Education is extremely proud of its graduates and looks forward to hearing the success and employment opportunities of other alumni!