Art Therapy and Counseling resumes Desistance Theatre Project
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In September, Art Therapy and Counseling will resume its Desistance Theatre Project. The initiative is a free opportunity for non-violent, adult, male ex-offenders in Hampton Roads to participate in a peer-supportive, collaborative, expressive arts/theatre arts group.
“Desistance is the mental process of committing to a life free of criminal activity and re-incarceration,” says Matthew Bernier, MCAT, ATR-BC, Associate Professor in the School of Health Professions. “The Desistance Theatre Project helps ex-offenders to better understand their own experience, to see themselves as actors rather than spectators, as people with agency and control and to take positive control of their situation.”
The workshops are free and no previous art experience is required. Sessions will be held on Mondays starting Sept. 12, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., in Lester Hall. Registration is required.
The project is part of EVMS Arts for Optimal Health, a program that brings art therapy and arts-engagement services to the community for wellness, healing and growth, and is supported through partnerships for education, research and patient care.
For more information, contact Mr. Bernier at berniemg@evms.edu or 757.446.5188.