Gianina Casale ‘24 (New England, CFT, DMT) recently served as a panelist at Arts Forward Fort Worth—an inaugural citywide arts summit at Texas Wesleyan University that brought together industry leaders, creatives, and community advocates to explore the transformative role of the arts in health, education, and social change. She joined fellow art and music therapists on a panel examining the intersection of arts and healing, where they discussed culturally responsive care, embodied approaches to therapy, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the long-term benefits of creative expression for mental health.
“It was such a meaningful experience and a chance to share the dance/movement therapy perspective in a larger interdisciplinary conversation about the role of creative expression in mental health,” said Casale. “The panel opportunity came through Concetta Troskie, my previous BC-DMT supervisor and ongoing mentor. She’s also an Antioch alum and an adjunct faculty member at the Santa Barbara campus. Her recommending me for the opportunity made the experience even more special—a full-circle moment of being supported by someone whose own path was shaped at Antioch, too.”
Now a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Associate (LMFT-A) and Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT), Casale integrates systemic and creative arts approaches to support individuals, couples, families, and groups. She previously pioneered a Dance/Movement Therapy group for children and caregivers at the Irving Family Advocacy Center and continues to advocate for body-based healing in both clinical and community settings. She credits her time at Antioch—and the support of the Marian Chace Foundation scholarship—for equipping her to elevate the voice of Dance/Movement Therapy in broader interdisciplinary conversations.
