Faculty & Staff

Faculty

Director, Art Therapy & Counseling Program

She received her B.A. in Sculpture from the University of Colorado, her M.S. in Art Therapy from Hahnemann Medical University (now Drexel) and her Psy.D. from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology (now Argosy-Chicago).

Prior to coming to EVMS, Dr. Calisch’s academic positions included professor of graduate psychology at Argosy University in Dallas, associate professor and director of art therapy at the University of Louisville, associate professor and director of the art therapy program at Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec), and assistant professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Her clinical appointments have included founding art therapist at Michael Reese Hospital, Director of Expressive Therapies at the University of Chicago Billings Hospital, Director of the Expressive Therapies Department at University Hospital, and art therapist at Central State Hospital-Louisville, Presbyterian Hospital-Dallas and Southwestern Medical Center-Zale Lipshy-Dallas.

‌Professionally, Dr. Calisch has served as chair of the Educational Program Approval Board for several terms and as a director on the Board of the American Art Therapy Association for two terms. She has presented at numerous local, national and international conferences and has published on the topics of supervision, cultural diversity, problem- focused art therapy and theoretical orientations.

Faculty

Research Director

Sarah Deaver, PhD, ATR-BC is a registered and board certified art therapist.  She was appointed to the faculty in 1982, and is an associate professor jointly appointed in the School of Health Professions and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.  She is Research Director of the Graduate Art Therapy and Counseling Program.

She graduated with a BS in Art from Skidmore College, and has a Master of Science in Art Therapy from Eastern Virginia Medical School.  She additionally has an MS Ed in Counseling and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision, both from Old Dominion University. 

Dr. Deaver teaches Ethics and Professionalism, the research courses, and oversees all student thesis work. 

She has served as a director on the ATCB and has been an active member of the AATA, serving the association in a number of roles. Currently she is President-Elect of the American Art Therapy Association.

Faculty

Matthew Bernier, MCAT, ATR-BC, is a registered, board-certified art therapist. He has been a full-time faculty member in the Graduate Art Therapy Program since 1990 and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

He obtained his Master of Creative Arts in Therapy degree in 1983 from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has art therapy experience with children, adolescents, adults, and families, especially those who have experienced domestic violence, physical abuse, and/or sexual abuse.

His academic interests include: processes, materials, and theoretical approaches of art psychotherapy; symbolism; art history; psychopathology; theories of personality; and child and adolescent art psychotherapy.

Mr. Bernier regularly serves on professional committees and boards. He has served as a trustee and the vice president of the Puppeteers of America and currently services as a director of the American Art Therapy Association.

Mr. Bernier has presented locally, nationally, and abroad on a variety of topics including domestic violence and therapeutic puppetry. He has published book and video reviews in professional journals. He is the co-editor of Puppetry in education and therapy: Unlocking doors to the mind and heart (2005).

Faculty

‌Cheryl Shiflett, PhD, LPC, ATR-BC is a registered, board-certified art therapist and licensed professional counselor. She joined the full-time faculty in the Graduate Art Therapy and Counseling Program as an assistant professor in 2012. She teaches courses in group counseling and psychotherapy, child counseling and psychotherapy skills and art therapy in the schools and co-leadsd clinical case conferences.

She graduated with a BS and MS in Psychology from Old Dominion University, a MS in Art Therapy from Eastern Virginia Medical School, and a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Dr. Shiflett has experience working with children who have witnessed domestic violence and children with developmental disabilities.

Her academic and research interests include pedagogy and clinical supervision.

Administrative

Kerry Kruk, MS, CSAC, ATR-BC Class of '04 is a Clinician III Substance Abuse Counselor for the City of Virginia Beach in a sub-acute, inpatient Crisis Stabilization and detoxification unit. Previously, she has worked at the Institute for Family Centered Services as a Regional Director and Family Centered Specialist providing in-home therapy, art therapy based trauma groups, and outpatient substance abuse groups. Kerry is also a Board Member of the School of Health Professions Alumni Association.

Administrative

Spencer Powers, MS, ATR-BC is a registered art therapist in Richmond, Virginia, where he is a Primary Therapist for the Hanover County Juvenile Drug Court, specializing in the treament of adolescents and adults with co-occuring disorders. He has also been employed by John Randolph Medical Center in Hopewell, Virgina, since 1999, where he continues to work as part of psychiatric inpatient, outpatient, and intensive outpatient programs.

Spencer has been a community faculty member for EVMS's Graduate Art Therapy and Counseling Program since 2004 and is a member and former executive officer of the Virgina Art Therapy Association.

Administrative

Mary Ritchie is a graduate from Eastern Virginia Medical School, with a Master's of Science in Art Therapy in 1997 and from James Madison University with a Bachelor's of Science in Art in 1995, after completing studio art foundations and sculpture work at Virginia Commonwealth University from 1991-1993. Currently, Mary Ritchie works as an Art Therapist with adolescents in a detention facility. Mary Ritchie serves the State Operated Programs with the Virginia Department of Education to train Art and Music Therapists in best practice, ethics, and therapeutic boundaries in residential settings and education programs served by the state. Mary Ritchie serves as a mentor to new Art Therapists employed in State Operated Programs. Mary Ritchie has propelled the field of art therapy by encouraging the hiring of Expressive therapists in education programs in detention facilities, documenting standards of practice in writing, contributing articles to newsletters, and currently developing standards and curriculum for art and music therapists in education programs as a part of the regular school schedule as opposed to IEP related services.

Throughout her career, Mary Ritchie has worked as an Art Therapist in residential, in home, community mental health, transitional services, and private practice settings with a focus on the treatment of trauma. Mary Ritchie is a Registered Art Therapist (1999), Licensed Professional Counselor (2000) and EMDR Level II certified. Mary Ritchie is also completing an Education Specialist degree in Administration and Supervision from the University of Virginia. Mary Ritchie is a practicing artist in mixed media painting. Mary Ritchie has over 17 years of experience practicing art therapy and education. Mary Ritchie joined the Graduate Art Therapy and Counseling Program at EVMS as Adjunct Faculty in Spring 2012.

Faculty

Tim Sanderson, M.D., ATR, is a part-time faculty member in the Graduate Art Therapy Program and a Community Faculty Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Dr. Sanderson is a psychiatrist, a Jungian Analyst, and a registered art therapist in private practice.

With the Graduate Art Therapy Program, he co-leads case conferences and the symbolism course, and offers Jungian Independent Study Seminars.

Administrative

Elizabeth Vincelette, PhD, is a writing tutor at EVMS and faculty member in the English department at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Her research interests include editing, genre, and writing in digital spaces, with an emphasis on student writing and research design. She has published articles on Edgar Allan Poe and YouTube, and has a forthcoming, co-authored chapter on parody, copyright, and YouTube in an edited collection. Dr. Vincelette is a member of the Modern Language Association and has presented at a number of conferences, including the MLA and the Conference on College Composition and Communication.

Staff