DIVERSITY, EQUALITY & INCLUSIVITY STATEMENT
The experience of working with diverse bodies of individuals has shaped the way in which I see the world -- especially in my clinical practice as an art therapist, community engagement as a visual artist, and on campus as a teaching professor. My professional experience has allowed me to work with individuals from different backgrounds and cultures from my own as early as 2004. Many of the individuals I have mentored and counseled recently have experiences that include homelessness, domestic violence, drug addiction and other forms of trauma. As I continued onto college in pursuit of my undergraduate and graduate degrees, and in culmination of working in the professional field of Art Psychotherapy I have gained valuable insight about all-inclusive populations. In multiple educational and therapeutic settings facilitating groups with various individuals, I strive to achieve inclusivity and equality as part of personal responsibility and for all the persons in the community I serve.
In addition, my clinical work includes people challenged by mental health issues and various forms of trauma which include: Substance Use disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, Mood and Personality Disorders, children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral difficulties, the intellectually and physically impaired and individuals in Trauma-Informed Residential Treatment Facility for Adult Mothers in Recovery and Adolescent Mothers, In-Patient Behavioral Health Unit, Oncology Unit, Community Therapeutic Arts Center, ‘At Risk Youth’ in an educational/recreational environment, Out-Patient Co-Occurring Disorder Program, and Residential Veterans programs. These communities are often underrepresented and marginalized necessitating an invaluable need for reconciliation facilitated through art psychotherapeutic interventions. Also, in the classroom I meet students who come from complex backgrounds, who exhibit learning and physical disabilities, are non-traditional (older) students; as well as from other marginalized groups such as LBGTQ identities which requires my presence as a teacher to breathe acceptance of inclusivity, equality, and diversity.
It has been rewarding to mentor students during their practicum in their work with underrepresented populations. My world view allows me to contribute this perspective to my students that I hope to share through lecture, research, and publication. I also believe it is imperative to encourage my students to contribute to diversity, inclusivity, and equality through their coursework and on-campus activities. As an artist, art therapist, and educator it is my priority to encourage students to practice conscientious engagement, ethical practices, critical thought, and scholarly research on individuals different from their own.
2021- 2022, Prof. Mylod-Daggett, MAAT, ATR