معرفی
Melissa Diaz is a licensed, registered, board-certified art therapist and community-oriented artist currently serving as a visiting instructor in Pratt Institute's Art Therapy Department and Senior Art Therapist at NY Creative Arts Therapists in Brooklyn, NY. She also founded Open House BK, a community arts initiative.
Her educational background includes:
- BFA in Painting from The University of Central Florida
- MPS in Art Therapy & Creativity Development from Pratt Institute
- Certificate in Integrated Mental Health/Addiction Treatment
Diaz practices an eclectic, person-centered art therapy approach integrating Humanistic, Attachment-Based, Relational, and Psycho-Educational Frameworks. Her work emphasizes mindfulness, self-compassion, and addressing systemic issues impacting communities through therapeutic interventions for depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, developmental disabilities, and life transitions across diverse settings including mental health facilities, schools, and museums.
At Pratt Institute, she teaches Dynamics of Materials, Art Diagnosis, Ethics, Professional Development, and Supervision/Practicum for second-year students while leading the BIPOC Affinity group, managing Continued Education programs, and serving as Social Media Coordinator and DEI Council member.
Her community engagement includes founding Open House BK (2010), which provides affordable pop-up events, emerging artist exhibitions, and therapeutic workshops to advance social justice, personal healing, and community progress through arts integration.
