Art Therapy Grads Recognized for Exceptional Research and Service

2023 was a year of many firsts at the graduate school, with celebrations for both the inaugural cohort of the part-time elementary program and the gender diversity certificate. It also brought a suite of three new awards to honor some of our most exceptional graduates from the Art Therapy Program. These inaugural awards were given in the following categories: Commitment to Equity & Access; Liberatory Community Engagement; and Art Therapy Research.

Katie Wood MA ’23Commitment to Equity and Access

This award goes to an art therapy graduate who demonstrates a commitment to service, disrupts societal norms or barriers, and provides pathways for access and equity-based practices in communities.

Katie Wood MA ’23 received the Commitment to Equity and Access award in recognition of their work in raising awareness of societal prejudice, systemic discrimination and marginalization of transgender and gender non-conforming people and connecting these experiences to medical abuse with a commitment to serving this population. Their capstone presentation is entitled Making Up Stories: Exploring Narrative Art Therapy as a Healing Modality for Survivors of Munchausen by Proxy Abuse.

Celina Paul MA ’23Liberatory Community Engagement

This award goes to an art therapy graduate who demonstrates cultural humility and a commitment to liberatory principles that move away from the oppressive triangle of hierarchy to the circle of human connection.

Celina Paul MA ’23 received the Liberatory Community Engagement award for their client-led focus that centered on social emotional learning while placing transparency, equity, and access at the center of their work. Their capstone presentation is entitled Adventures in Art Therapy. Demystifying the process through the Expressive Therapies Continuum, Transparency, and supporting clients in discovering their growing edges.

Liv Siulagi MS ’22Art Therapy Research Award

This award goes to an art therapy Master’s of Science graduate who contributes an innovative thesis to the body of literature that expands awareness and generates knowledge to further the practice of the art therapy profession.

Liv Siulagi MS ’22 received the Art Therapy Research Award for her work as a co-founder of Art for Social Change and her continued engagement in this group post-graduation while working in the field as an art therapist. Her dedication to this program and collaboration is commendable and so well deserved. She is working on co- authoring article on the topic from her thesis, which is entitled Activism or Slacktivism? Art for Social Change.