Presented As Part of The Newark Arts Festival
Drama With A Twist presents
New Jersey Creative Art Therapies Symposium
Pathways to Purpose & Wellness
Inaugural Symposium on Saturday, October 10, 2026
9:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m. | 📍GlassRoots | Newark Glass Art Center
23 Williams St, Newark, NJ
Funded by The City of Newark’s Creative Catalyst Grant
and Newark Alliance
The NJ Creative Arts Therapies Symposium aims to bring together and unify creative arts therapists from across New Jersey and beyond to share innovative practices, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and strengthen our creative arts therapies community.
This inaugural symposium, made possible this year through the support of the Newark Alliance and City of Newark's Creative Catalyst Grant, is designed for creative arts therapists, mental health professionals, healthcare providers, educators, students, artists, community organizations, and all who are interested in the arts to promote healing, connection, and well-being.
Join us in celebrating the transformative power of creativity as we explore pathways to purpose, wellness, and stronger communities through creative arts therapies.
Educational workshops will address:
Purpose, meaning-making, and identity
Community healing and social connection
Trauma-informed and resilience-focused practices
Creative Arts Therapies in healthcare, education, and community (clinical and non-clinical settings)
Cultural responsiveness, neurodiversity, accessibility, disability studies, and inclusive practice
Mental health and emotional well-being
Approaches to advocacy, racial and social justice
Emerging research and evidence-informed practice
Innovative interdisciplinary collaborations
Meet the Presenters!
“Beyond Aphasia: Reclaiming Identity and Well-Being Without Words Through Art Therapy”
Cindy Concannon MA ATR-BC LPAT LPC NCC ACS is the Clinical Director of the Mary Jo Rolli Codey Center. The Center provides mental health counseling to the local community and serves as a training clinic for Caldwell’s masters students in the clinical mental health counseling with art therapy concentration education program. The Center serves adults, children, adolescents and teens, diverse populations including people with Aphasia and their caregivers. Cindy has worked with populations of all ages with challenges that include trauma, grief, survivors of domestic violence, mental health problems, stroke and traumatic brain injury, and people living with Aphasia. Cindy utilizes the creativity in therapy as a form of communication, fostering self-discovery.
Cindy Concannon, MA, ATR-BC, LPAT, LPC, NCC, ACS
My name is Angel Aguilar, and I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Art Therapy at Caldwell University. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Psychology from William Paterson University in 2023. I have several years of experience in behavioral health, including providing crisis support to children in grades K–8 at a behavioral health school, with a particular focus on younger students. Additionally, I have worked as a Mental Health Associate in a healthcare setting, supporting children and adults experiencing a range of mental health concerns, including in a detox setting. I am currently completing my practicum, where I have the opportunity to work with a diverse range of clients and populations. My experience includes co-facilitating wellness groups for older adults, facilitating grief groups for children, working with individuals with aphasia, and providing counseling services to clients presenting with various mental health concerns.
Angel Aguilar, BA
"Strengthening Resources Through the Integration of Music and Drama Therapies With Psychodrama"
Barbara McKechnie, has worked with children, adolescents, and adults on both inpatient and partial hospital settings and in private practice. She is past president of NADTA and NJACC and was a faculty member at New School University in NYC and Montclair State University in NJ. She currently works as a psychodrama trainer in NY & NJ, and has a private practice in NJ. Barbara was also on the NJ Taskforce for Licensure of DT and DMT. Barbara has presented a national and regional conference and is a published author of articles related to Drama Therapy. She has been has been working with Amy Clarkson for 10 years co-leading psychodrama training with Psychodrama and the Creative Process.
Barbara McKechnie MA, LPC, LCAT, RDT/BCT, RPT, TEP
Amy is a board-certified music therapist and certified trainer, educator and practitioner of psychodrama, sociometry and group psychotherapy with over 25 years of experience. In her role as Clinical Training Associate at Montclair State University, Amy teaches music therapy courses and coordinates pre-internship clinical placements. She engages young children, including those with neurodevelopmental differences, in music therapy through the inclusive childcare center on the campus of Montclair State. Within her private practice, Amy provides trauma-informed music therapy and psychodrama services, training and supervision. With a firmly held belief in the power of each person’s creativity as an available resource, Amy finds it a privilege to supportively walk alongside those who have faced a range of challenges and adverse life experiences and who are on the courageous journey of growth, healing, and recovery. She has published a number of book chapters and articles and regularly presents at national, regional and local conferences, with a particular interest in the integration of music and psychodrama approaches within the therapeutic process.
Amy Clarkson, MMT, LCAT, MT-BC, TEP
"Self-Defined: The Performance of Hip-Hop Persona"
Sheikia "Purple Haze" Norris, MFA
Sheikia "Purple Haze" Norris is a Bronx-born, Newark-based emcee, educator, and cultural visionary whose work bridges hip hop artistry, education, and global cultural exchange. This Johnson C. Smith University ‘99 alum holds an MFA from Goddard College in Hip Hop Consciousness. She brings an academic and community-centered lens to her craft, using music as a vehicle for truth, empowerment, and connection.
A recipient of the Lady’s First Fund grant, Purple Haze has contributed to Hip Hop education and cultural initiatives with the Hip Hop Culture Center in Harlem, BergenPAC, the Grammy Museum Experience & Record High at The Prudential Center, and the U.S. Department of State’s Next Level Hip Hop Cultural Diplomacy Program. She further advanced her commitment to the culture as the founding director of NJPAC’s first cumulative Hip Hop Arts & Culture Education Program, creating sustained opportunities for young people, artists, and educators to engage Hip Hop as an art form, educational practice, and vehicle for cultural expression. Through performance, education, facilitation, and cultural leadership, Haze continues to deepen her engagement while contributing to the preservation, practice, and evolution of Hip Hop culture.
Her work is published in the Womb of Violet Collective Anthology Vol. 1, and Howard University’s Communication Journal Special Hip Hop 50 edition (2025), reflecting her commitment to amplifying voices and narratives within the culture. Rooted in purpose and propelled by passion, Purple Haze continues to expand her impact—building platforms, educating communities, and contributing to the evolution of Hip Hop as both an art form and a global movement.
Adam Stevens (they|them) is a Registered Drama Therapist and Board-Certified Trainer who supports queer, POC, and neurodivergent youth in transforming grief into joy and empowerment. Adam is a trained actor and director who has performed Off-Broadway in NYC and with productions globally. They teach at NYU, Antioch University Seattle and Marymount Manhattan College, and serve as Artistic Director of NYU’s Collideoscope Repertory Theatre Company, advancing racial justice through performance. A doctoral student at NYU, Adam is the Past President of the North American Drama Therapy Association, bringing a social justice and creative lens to bereavement/trauma-informed work and theatre spaces nationwide. Most recently, Adam was invited to be the Program Coordinator at Pathway Child Adolescent Bereavement Program at Green Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY. Their superpowers are rooted in the fantastical forces of creativity, love, and radical imagination.Thank you again for including me in this beautiful gathering.
Adam Stevens (they|them), RDT, BCT
"Moving in Sync: How Drama Therapy and Dance/Movement Therapy Foster Collective Healing"
Daisy (Anqi) Cai (蔡安淇) (MA, LCAT-LP, P-RDT) is a drama therapist and writer from Beijing, China, and a Third Culture Kid who has nested across the globe. She works as a Creative Arts Therapist at RWJ Barnabas Health, where she provides culturally informed and trauma-informed care to patients living with mental health challenges. Her ongoing drama therapy research centers on identity, acculturation, grief, and belonging within TCK diaspora experiences. For Daisy, drama therapy is less a profession than a way of breathing. If she could be anything other than human, she would be a tree."
Daisy (Anqi) Cai (蔡安淇) (MA, LCAT-LP, P-RDT)
Aarya Singh (MA, LCAT-LP) is a dance movement therapist whose journey has taken her from Bombay to Bangalore, Boston, and Brooklyn, a path shaped by movement, resilience, and constant reinvention. Trained in India through the Creative Movement Therapy Association of India, she went on to study psychology in Boston and earned her Master’s in dance movement therapy from Pratt Institute. She currently works in inpatient psychiatry while pursuing her LCAT license. Her experiences of migration, uncertainty, and navigating professional identity across borders deeply inform her practice, where she creates space for creativity, movement, connection, and belonging.
Aarya Singh (MA, LCAT-LP) "Growing Together: Strengthening Communities through Creative Arts and Rhythm in Community Gardens"
Roxana Marroquin, MS
Roxana Marroquin is an urban farmer, multidisciplinary artist, educator, and trained art therapist. With a Bachelors of Art in Photography and Masters in Art Therapy, Roxana weaves urban agriculture, visual arts, narrative storytelling, mindfulness and cultural expressions into a unique practice of community wellness and environmental stewardship. After years of working with Spanish-speaking populations as a trauma-informed art therapist throughout Brooklyn and Harlem, NY, Roxana was drawn to community gardens, where she learned to grow food and herbs and began to incorporate art and therapeutic practices in gardens. Since 2014, Roxana has partnered with Newark Science and Sustainability, Inc., to directly engage marginalized communities in healing through sustainable and creative practices in gardens. In her current role as Program Associate with Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE), she manages two RCE Learning Gardens and a Rutgers Master Gardener program throughout Hudson and Essex Counties, where she teaches urban agriculture, grows, creates garden programming and continues to utilize arts as a catalyst for community transformation. As an artist, Roxana has exhibited photography and mixed media throughout various galleries and museums, including the Fort Lee Museum, BronxArtSpace, New Jersey City University, Weeksville Heritage Center and more.
Alyssa Muniz, MT-BC, is a board-certified music therapist dedicated to using music to foster connection, self-expression, and community. She earned her B.A. in Music Therapy from Montclair State University and has experience working with children, adolescents, adults, and older adults across community and clinical settings. Her work has included school-based music therapy, adult day programs, memory care, and community music initiatives, with a focus on creating accessible spaces where individuals can build relationships, explore identity, and feel a sense of belonging. Alyssa brings a person-centered and collaborative approach to her work, drawing on her background as a performing artist to help communities connect through music.
Alyssa Muniz, MT Ta Wei Chen (陳大為) (MA, LCAT, RDT) is a drama therapist, playback theater artist, and first-generation queer immigrant from Taiwan. He currently works as a creative arts therapist at Maimonides Medical Center in adult inpatient psychiatry and outpatient LGBTQ+ clinic, where he centers his role as psychotherapy liaison to promote continuity of care and help preventing rehospitalization by establishing relational alliance with clients through the arts. Ta Wei is one of the guest editors for the upcoming special issue of Drama Therapy Review: Reclamation of Asian Voices in Times of Global Unrest. Outside of therapy, he enjoys voguing, yoga, and clowning — and hopes to one day fully embrace his calling as a trickster diva.
Ta Wei Chen (陳大為) (MA, LCAT, RDT) "Therapeutic Ritual Processes"
Maude Davis, PhD(c) candidate at European Graduate School and diploma candidate at the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich. A clinician in private practice, Maude is the founder of Alchemy and the Art: A Center for Personal Transformation. A Licensed Psychoanalyst, Registered Drama Therapist, and Registered Expressive Art Therapist, Maude combined these approaches in developing an original therapeutic technique: Psyche’s Cabaret.
Ornela Kapetani, MA, RDT, is a drama therapist, professional theatre and film actress. A clinically certified trauma practitioner and a Transpersonal Regression Therapist registered with the EARTH Association.Since 2010, Ornela has worked as a drama therapist within the NHS (UK), mental health facilities, education settings, NGOs, and diverse communities affected by trauma. She has extensive training in Jungian psychoanalytic therapy, psychodynamic, humanistic, and person-centered approaches. Currently, she runs a private practice, working with individuals from all walks of life. As a theatre practitioner, Ornela trained in Stanislavsky’s method, the physical theatre of Jerzy Grotowski, Jacques Lecoq, and the silent theatre of Marcel Marceau. From 2008 to 2015, she was a performer with PartSuspended, a multidisciplinary art collective using performance to address social issues.
Ornela Kapetani, MA, RDTMaude Davis, PhD(c) "Creative Arts Perspectives With Families Impacted by Domestic Violence"
Olivia Corveleyn is a Board-Certified Music Therapist who has 4 years post-graduate experience working with children and adults with mental illness and trauma. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy from Montclair State University, and is currently completing her master's degree in social work from Rutgers School of Social Work. Olivia has training in NICU music therapy, Attachment-Based Family Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Psychodrama.
Olivia CorveleynMarie Caruso-Teresi, (Maria), is a board-certified and NJ licensed art therapist, artist, educator, and founder of Inner Truth Arts, LLC. As both a clinician and exhibiting artist, her work explores creativity as a vehicle for meaning-making, emotional integration, and psychological well-being. She maintains a private practice, provides school-based art therapy services, and develops continuing education programs for mental health professionals. As a member of the Planning Committee for the New Jersey Creative Arts Therapies Symposium, Marie is committed to advancing clinical excellence, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the integration of creative arts therapies within healthcare, behavioral health, and community-based practice.
Marie Caruso-Teresi, MPS, ATR-BC, LPATLillian H. Ribeiro, MA, RDT/BCT (she/her), is a Newark-born, trilingual Luso-American artist, activist, educator, Registered Drama Therapist, and Board Certified Trainer. Her work is grounded in the belief that access to the creative arts is vital to public health. As founder of Drama With A Twist, she has received multiple Newark-based arts grants to expand community access to creative arts therapies.
Through trauma-informed, community-centered drama therapy and expressive arts, Lillian supports survivors of domestic violence, families experiencing housing insecurity, students, and older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. She brings programming to libraries, museums, festivals, arts centers, galleries, schools, and shelters. Her current work includes 180 Turning Lives Around, Monmouth County’s lead domestic and sexual violence agency; the Newark Board of Education; and local shelters.
Lillian previously taught as an adjunct professor in the Rutgers–NJIT Theatre Arts Program and at Montclair State University. A former Eastern Region Representative of the North American Drama Therapy Association, she received the NADTA Service Award in 2025. Most recently, Lillian organized the Eastern Region Drama Therapy Symposium at CUNY School of Professional Studies in 2024 and is the lead organizer of the 2026 NJ Creative Arts Therapies Symposium: Pathways to Purpose and Wellness. You can find and follow her work at @DramaWithATwist.
Lillian H. Ribeiro, MA, RDT/BCT (she/her)“Grieving in Community”
Janelle Zapata Castellano is an Applied Theatre Facilitator, Director, and Producer. Her work has been seen at Rutgers Newark, the Kraine, and Joe's Pub. She is a graduate of CUNY's Applied Theatre Masters Program. Boriqua af, she actively works towards creating a theatrical landscape that is culturally competent, consent forward, and trauma informed. Talk to her about how to implement these concepts into your artistic practice!
Janelle Zapata CastellanoSheryl is a RDT and graduated from NYU with a MA in drama therapy. Sheryl has over 10 years working with a trauma informed creative arts program. Sheryl provides individual and group therapy for children and teens who have witnessed domestic violence and presents grief, depression, anxiety, separation and behavior issues. Sheryl has facilitated groups for a support center for children, young adults and families dealing with the loss of a loved one.
Sheryl Machlowitz, MA, RDT “Roleplaying for Real Life - Improvisational Theatre As An Agent of Social Change”
Ellen Williams, Associate Professor and Expressive Arts 4-H Agent, Rutgers University, developed “Roleplaying for Real Life”, which utilizes improvisational theatre to help youth address personal and social issues. In her work at Rutgers, her primary focus areas are arts and social change , and arts and health. As a drama therapist, Ellen has worked in substance abuse treatment programs, behavioral health programs, jails, prisons, senior citizen centers and schools. Her experience as a teaching artist includes work with Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, Whole Theatre, Autumn Stages, Very Special Arts New Jersey, and Henry Street Settlement in New York Ellen received her MS degree from Florida State University in Cultural Arts Programming in Leisure Services and Studies, graduating Summa Cum Laude, and her BA degree from Montclair State University in English/Speech/Theatre Arts, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She has a permanent New Jersey teaching certificate in English/Speech/Theatre Arts, grades K-12. She has post graduate education in counseling. Ellen has extensive teaching experience on the high school, college and adult education levels. A published author, Ellen’s publications include, for example the national Theatre Arts curriculum Imagination in Action published by National 4-H Council ; the text Opportunities in Gerontology and Aging Services Careers endorsed by Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Gray Panthers, and “An Artist/Advocate for the Inmate Voice” in the CUNY Arts in Prisons publication. Ellen’s performance experience includes, among others , the NYC Family prison theatre, Palace Theatre in New Hampshire, and the Actors Café, Attic Ensemble and Whole Theatre in New Jersey. Ellen sings and plays the bodhran (Irish drum) with fellow Rutgers musicians.
Ellen Williams "Have You Seen the Bridge? Music as a Path to Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication"
Nicky Unverricht, is a board certified music therapist originally from Old Bridge, NJ. A musician since age 12, she graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Therapy from Montclair State University in 2021. Nicky completed her music therapy internship at The Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, NY in 2022. She has since gained experience working with individuals in memory care, chemotherapy, ICU, long term care, and most recently; children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In April 2022, Nicky began working as a full time music therapist with Jammin' Jenn Music Therapy LLC. Since January 2026, Nicky has served as the Vice President of the New Jersey Association for Music Therapy, connecting music therapists across the state. Through her hard work, dedication, and individual and group sessions, Nicky has made and continues to make long standing and meaningful connections through music.
Nicky Unverricht, MT-BC
"Embodied Archetypes: Mini Mannequins and Collage as Social Justice Tools for Identity and Body Reclamation"
Dr. Wednesdae Reim Ifrach, REAT, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPC, NCC, CLAT, RMT, is a creative arts therapist based in CT & PA specializing in the intersection of identity formation, body image issues, and socially responsive care. With extensive experience in social justice spaces, eating disorder treatment, and advocacy, Dr. Reim Ifrach's clinical work utilizes altered found objects and mixed-media collaging as therapeutic tools to address body image trauma, systemic oppression, and self-advocacy. Their innovative approach leverages 3D mini mannequins as a medium for body reclamation, subverting commercialized aesthetics to empower diverse populations. They are dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration among creative arts therapists and advancing culturally responsive, anti-oppressive therapeutic practices. Outside of their art therapy, they are a published author, poet, full-time professor, and multidisciplinary artist.
Wednesdae Reim Ifrach"What's Your Hairstory? A Creative Exploration of Identity, Self-Expression, and Confidence Through Hair, Storytelling, and Play"
Alayna Hester, LCAT, RDT is a licensed creative arts therapist, registered drama therapist, facilitator, storyteller, and founder of Alayna Hester Creative — where creativity and healing meet. Her work explores the intersections of identity, storytelling, self-expression, wellness, and community, using creative practices to create spaces for genuine connection and exploration.
Alayna is the creator of What’s Your Hairstory?, a multidisciplinary creative experience exploring Black women’s relationships with their hair through storytelling, role-play, performance, and creative expression. What began as a research-based workshop has grown into a signature project within Alayna Hester Creative, alongside her broader work designing experiential workshops, community gatherings, and creative activations for women and girls.
Through her work, Alayna is passionate about creating spaces where people can tell their stories, explore who they are, express themselves authentically, and connect with others. She believes deeply in the healing power of art and is committed to bringing creative experiences into communities and spaces where they may not traditionally exist.
Alayna Hester, LCAT, RDT
"Distinct Disciplines, Shared Care: Interdisciplinary Collaboration Between Music Therapy and Child Life in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit"
Eden Medina is a deeply humanistic and passionate Licensed Creative Arts Therapist and board-certified music therapist. With seven years of dedicated practice, Eden skillfully employs music therapy to foster healing, resilience, and connection. Her extensive experience spans inpatient pediatric medical settings, where she provides vital support to young patients and their families. Eden is particularly enthusiastic about fostering interdisciplinary partnerships, believing in the power of a holistic care team, and is unwavering in her dedication to ensuring equitable and compassionate support for non-English speaking families.
Eden Medina, MS, LCAT, MT-BC
Hailey DeStasio, CCLS is an intentional Child Life Specialist who is passionate about helping children, adolescence and families feel safe and supported through the difficulties of hospitalization. Hailey has over 6 years of experience servicing pediatric patients in a hospital setting, including over 1 year as a CCLS in a pediatric intensive care unit. Hailey is passionate about partnering with families and the interdisciplinary team, using play as a modality and age-appropriate education to help children and families understand and cope with hospitalization.
Hailey DeStasio, CCLSThis symposium was made possible through the generous contributions of Newark Alliance and The City of Newark’s Creative Catalyst Grant.
