Matthew G. Bernier
Associate Professor, Eastern Virginia Medical School
Portsmouth, Virginia
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Puppetry in Education and Therapy:Schools, senior centers, hospitals, churches; explore new places to share your skills and talents
Applied Puppetry: Puppetry in Education and Therapy: schools. Senior centers, hospitals, churches, social service events etc. new places to share skills and expertise Description: Exploring Applied Puppetry; the variety of places and events that teaching artists and therapist can use their skills and expertise. Marketing to social services programs, churches, hospitals, prisons, immigration sites , international programs etc….. Applied puppetry is opening doors to puppeteers who have talent, skills and the desire to find new venues for working with puppets other than pure entertainment. ( Although all puppetry is entertaining!!!!!)
Matthew G. Bernier, MCAT, ATR-BC is a registered and board-certified art therapist with 35 years of experience. He is an artist, puppeteer, and Associate Professor in the Graduate Art Therapy and Counseling Program at Eastern Virginia Medical School since 1990. His expertise includes therapeutic art processes, creativity, symbolism, expressive arts, art psychotherapy theoretical approaches, and therapeutic puppetry. He is the 2009 recipient of the Puppeteers of America Mc Pharlin Award for Excellence in Puppetry in Education and Therapy. He has lectured and led workshops and courses on therapeutic puppetry internationally. He co-edited Puppetry in Education and Therapy: Unlocking Doors to the Mind and Heart (2005). He has a master’s degree in creative arts in therapy and is pursuing a PhD in expressive arts therapy and social change at the European Graduate School in Switzerland. He has lots of college and community theatre experience including: acting, directing, children’s theatre, puppetry, and participation theatre
He has worked with recently released prisoners and when Covid restraints are lifted he plans to continue with the project outlined below.
DESISTANCE THEATRE PROJECT supports the lived experiences of non-violent, adult, male, ex-offenders who are committing to desistance from criminal activity and re-incarceration, in part through their participation in a weekly, collaborative, peer support, expressive arts and puppetry project. Participants are encouraged to use visual arts, puppetry, theatre arts, and the collaborative experience to express their life stories and challenges, and to envision a successful future as they to commit to desistance.