Postgraduate Certificate in Applied Expressive Arts in Counseling (AEAC)

Shawna Vernisie is a board-certified music therapist and licensed creative arts therapist specializing in neonatal and perinatal care at Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York. With over 14 years of experience, she leads clinical services, supports bereavement and staff wellness initiatives, and mentors students and professionals. Shawna has served in leadership roles within both the American Music Therapy Association and Certification Board for Music Therapists, and contributes as a manuscript reviewer, published author, and national presenter. Her work has been recognized with multiple awards for professional excellence and exceptional patient experience. Shawna is dedicated to advancing the field of music therapy, collaborating with interdisciplinary professionals, and expanding access to perinatal mental health care.

Craig Haen has a private practice working with children, adolescents, adults and families in White Plains, NY. He serves as graduate and doctoral faculty at New York University and Lesley University, teaching courses in both clinical practice and research. Dr. Haen is a Fellow of the American Group Psychotherapy Association, where he co-chairs the Community Outreach Task Force, a group that responds to trauma events in diverse communities and authors the organization’s public statements on human rights issues.  He co-founded and serves as Program Director for the Kint Institute, which offers post-Masters clinical training in the arts and trauma treatment. His most recent book is Creative Arts-Based Group Therapy with Adolescents, with Nancy Boyd Webb.

Meredith Casimiro is a board-certified dance/movement therapist and licensed creative arts therapist with extensive knowledge about the mind/body experience through somatic practices. Meredith is a lifelong mover and dancer who holds a Master of Science in dance/movement therapy from Pratt Institute, a BA in Dance from CUNY Hunter College, and is a certified Authentic Movement Practitioner from the New York Center for the Study of Authentic Movement. Meredith currently works in private practice at Marsh Psychotherapy and brings compassion, empathy and joy to her work.

Britton Williams is an adjunct professor in the Program in Drama Therapy (NYU) and works in private practice. She is a doctoral candidate in the PhD Program in Social Welfare at the Graduate Center (CUNY) where she is a member of the inaugural Mellon Humanities Public Fellows cohort. She has presented nationally and internationally on methods and applications of Drama Therapy. She is thrilled to be joining the Applied Expressive Arts in Counseling post graduate certificate program as a faculty member.

Rebecca Versaci is a Registered Drama Therapist and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist specializing in working with medically fragile children and their families. She is a child life specialist at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where she provides psychosocial services to children and families on multiple medical units. She also maintains a private practice facilitating drama therapy with children and families experiencing grief and bereavement. Rebecca has extensive experience lecturing and presenting at professional conferences and has published several articles on the use of drama therapy with chronically ill children and their families. What she enjoys most about her work is providing a space for her clients to share their stories.

Francesca DeBiaso comes from a lineage of healers, hard workers, and creative types. She is a licensed, board certified Art Therapist committed to trauma informed care for collective healing with particular focus on the immigrant experience, LGBTQ mental health, anti-racist practices, and youth leadership. She holds her bachelors degree in Art History from Gettysburg College and her masters in Art Therapy from School of Visual Arts. She has facilitated workshops in residential centers, academic settings, lockup facilities, and community spaces which focus on building relationships through somatic awareness and creative expression. She currently works at MercyFirst in Syosset as a supervisor and lead Art Therapist for an unaccompanied minors program, contracted through the Office of Refugee Resettlement. She also serves as a member of the Racial Equity and Sanctuary Ambassadors committees and provides frequent in-services for colleagues focused on nervous system attunement. Francesca completed her Yoga Teacher Training in Summer 2015 at the Giving Tree Yoga Studio in Queens, New York and completed United We OM’s Trauma-Informed Yoga Workshop in Spring 2019. She currently teaches yoga through her personal venture, Inner Dwelling.

Lillian is a nationally registered and board certified Art Therapist who utilizes art therapy techniques to assist children, adolescents and adults address their traumatic experiences. Lillian obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in Art Therapy and Creativity Development from Pratt Institute. In her twenty years of service, she has worked with a variety of groups of people including adult psychiatric patients, children battling cancer, adolescent mothers in foster care, families in crisis at a community counseling center and survivors of domestic violence. Lillian met people from all walks of life and she is grateful to the clients who have allowed her to walk with them on their healing journeys. These experiences were invaluable and she has learned as much from her clients as they might have gained from working with her. Lillian was a member of the inaugural YWCA Women of Color/Native Women Leadership cohort and currently volunteers with the YWCA National Capital Area in Washington, DC. Lillian has trained many practitioners and students on how domestic violence affects children and has consulted with businesses on building and encouraging self-care practices for staff who might experience vicarious trauma due to the nature of their work. Lillian currently runs her own psychotherapy private practice online, Creative Counseling Concepts, helping clients heal from unhealthy relationships and traumatic experiences. Her approach to therapy is client-centered, trauma-informed, culturally sensitive and rooted in social justice, advocacy, and empowerment for the people she works with. Lillian is skilled in engaging those new to therapy in the therapeutic process through providing a safe, holding space for them to be vulnerable, address their challenges and grow. She is highly skilled in addressing and treating trauma with art therapy, guided imagery/meditation, and is fully trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and Brainspotting. Lillian is also trained in Reiki and Jiivana (L.I.F.E.) Meditation. She is currently training in the Trauma Conscious Yoga Method and Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga Method. Lillian is a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT) and is currently residing in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area.

Daniel Summer is an Assistant Professor of Art Therapy at Caldwell University. He holds a Ph.D in Expressive therapies from Lesley University where his doctoral research explored mental illness stigma and resilience among adolescents. His doctoral research has been published in the Drama therapy Review, and written two chapters on mural making with inner-city youth, and developmental transformations a unique method of drama therapy. Most recently, Dan has presented at the Expressive Therapies Summit exploring Monster metaphors through an art-based intervention, and Eco-art therapy focusing on interconnectedness. Dr. Summer is a proud alumna of Adelphi University (1995) where he first gained an interest in art therapy and is excited to participate as faculty for the Postgraduate Expressive Arts Therapy Program.