CREATIVE ARTS THERAPY FACULTY AND STAFF

Educator, Counselor, Theatrical Director,

Board Certified Drama Therapist

 

Azizi earned her BA in Film Directing at Columbia College Chicago and two Master Degrees from Northeastern Illinois University in Community Counseling and Communications, Media and Theatre. She worked in professional theatre and film for over ten years as a choreographer, dancer, director, and actor at such places as Alchemy Theatre, Theodore Roosevelt High School, Betty Hill Dance Studios, and multiple commercial and film studios before discovering drama therapy.

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After training in drama therapy at Kansas State University through the North American Drama Therapy Association's Alternative Training program, she created the Therapeutic Performance Initiative (TPI) Model at Mis_ing Link (an arts-based social service agency) and served as the Executive Director. While there she had the opportunity to work with a wide array of children through adults who had various physical and cognitive disabilities. This taught Azizi how to create theatrically therapeutic opportunities for all of her clients.

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She also served as the Director of Expressive Therapy with Riveredge Psychiatric Hospital, Director of Theatre Education with Alchemy Theatre, as a Drama Therapist for The Youth Campus, School of Expressive Arts and Learning, and Wellness House, and has created over 200 socially-focused, therapeutic performance initiative productions.

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She currently offers workplace mental health mitigation to companies worldwide, harnessing the healing power of the arts.

Clinical Psychologist

 

Brittany Lakin-Starr, Ph.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with 10 years of experience treating children, families, and adults. She is currently a staff psychologist at Illinois Masonic Medical Center’s Behavioral Health Services, and provides supervision and didactic instruction for the psychology practicum training program. Dr. Lakin-Starr’s interests include combining her background in performance arts with therapy and leading psychodrama groups for both high functioning and chronically mentally ill individuals.

 

She created the Psychodrama Training Track at Illinois Masonic to allow students to gain specific skills and experiences in psychodrama. She also oversees the Effective Parenting Program and Children’s Social Skills Groups. Additionally, she is trained in Prolonged Exposure therapy for PTSD and Gottman Couple’s therapy.

 

Dr. Lakin-Starr earned her Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Clinical Psychology, with a specialty in children and families, from Loyola University in Chicago. She received her psychodrama training from the Hudson Valley Psychodrama Institute and the Mid-South Center for Psychodrama. She has taught undergraduate psychology classes as adjunct faculty at Loyola University.

Clinical Psychologist

 

Mallory Primm, Psy.D. PAT (she/her) is a certified psychodramatist and licensed clinical psychologist. Mallory is also a faculty member at the Chicago Center for Psychodrama. Mallory co-facilitates the Monday night psychodrama group at Chicago Center for Growth & Change and offers psychodrama/sociodrama group programming throughout Chicagoland.
 
Dr. Primm specializes in treating adults facing challenges with anxiety, depression, trauma, life transitions, social anxiety, relationship challenges, and prenatal/postpartum mental health issues. Dr. Primm also works with children, adolescents, and their families. Her areas of specialty with this population include school and behavioral concerns, self-harm, exposure to trauma, and adjustment concerns. 

Licensed Professional Counselor, Registered Drama Therapist

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Faculty Member of the Center for Creative Arts Therapy, has extensive knowledge and experience working with adolescents, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, survivors of trauma and abuse, parents of struggling children, anxiety, relationships and women's issues.

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Linnea Carrera holds a BA in Communications and Theater from Northwestern Illinois University and an MA in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College. She is currently completing training in Drama Therapy.

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She has worked as a theater educator and private coach for over ten years. She provided individual counseling to students at Judson University as part of her internship. Prior to working at the center, she worked in a residential treatment center for adolescents providing group therapy and support services. She specializes in mood disorders, LGBTQ+, anxiety, skills building, and self-esteem.

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Linnea also has over fifteen years of experience in theater and has worked as a performer, designer, and director. For the past six years she has been working as a teaching artist with several Chicago area groups, teaching classes in drama and voice, and directing youth theater productions. Recent directing credits include A Little Princess (Spotlight Youth Theater, 2017), 1776 (music director: EDGE, 2016), and The Real Inspector Hound (Studio C, 2016).

Social Worker, Educator, Practitioner, Advocate, Consultant

 

Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient with the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, over 40 years of combined domestic violence, advocacy and hospice innovations.

Director of Education & Community

 

Leslie recently completed an internship as a counselor in the Counseling Center at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where she had the opportunity to refine her counseling and empathy skills by providing a diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students with culturally sensitive individual and group counseling. Additionally, she has presented on a variety of outreach topics, including stress management, mindfulness, conquering shyness, social anxiety, and informational presentations about counseling services to the campus community.

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Leslie earned her Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling through Minnesota State University, and is currently an Assistant Theatre Director at Lemont High School.

Clinical Social Worker, Registered Expressive Arts Therapist

 

Dr. Reji Mathew, is an expressive arts advocate, educator, therapist and, an award winning arts accessibility advocate. She is a clinical instructor at New York University and presents widely on the integration of expressive techniques with evidence base skill therapeutic approaches such as CBT, DBT, IPT, CFT, Mindfulness and Positive Psychology.

 

She is also an ARTS reporter for the Disastershock.com Arts & Recovery team where she interviews innovative artists on the power of the arts in integrating the mind-body and spirit in trauma recovery.

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist, Registered Yoga Therapist

 

As a seasoned Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Board-Certified Dance Movement Therapist with nine years of experience, Vanessa specializes in somatic practices that bridge the mind and body to foster present-moment awareness.

 

With a background in working with diverse populations including children with autism, adults with developmental disabilities, veterans with PTSD and substance use disorders, as well as survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, she is deeply committed to holistic healing.

 

As the founder and CEO of Self-Reclaimed, a non-profit supporting survivors, and the owner of The Good Life private practice, Vanessa continues to advocate for mental health through her work at Spring Health, a leading mental health service provider.

Innovators, Artists, Educators

 

Our Faculty and Staff have over 80 years of combined experience in the field of drama therapy, psychodrama and expressive arts therapy. They have studied with some of the great pioneers in the field such as Sally Bailey, Jacob L. Moreno, John Nolte, Dr. Edith Kramer, Zerka Moreno, Marilyn "Toddy" Richmond and many more, and have served as pioneers themselves in the multi-modal training of expressive arts therapists. Not only do their students become knowledgeable of their chosen modality, but several interdisciplinary modalities as well.

 

Students learn how to safely incorporate dance/movement therapy, art, theatre, and music with multiple clients and settings.

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Each Faculty & Staff member has obtained the highest level of training and education in their field:

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• PhD in Psychology

• PsyD in Clinical Psychology​

• ​Registered/Board Certified Trainer (RDT/BCT) in Drama Therapy

• ​Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LPC/LCPC)

• ​Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LSW/LCSW)

• ​Art Therapist Registration - Board Certification (ATR-BC)

• ​Music Therapist - Board Certified (MT-BC)

• Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT)​​

• Psychodrama Trainer, Educator, Practitioner (TEP)