ALUMNI/AE
Intrepid Spirit Center in Ft. Belvoir Community Hospital, she currently develops and delivers innovative art therapy interventions for active-duty service members dealing with traumatic brain injury and PTSD, working as part of an interdisciplinary team under the Creative Forces initiative. “My father was a veteran…it feels really good to be serving people who serve our country. So, this mission, serving the servers, really has a lot of meaning for me personally.” She is also an adjunct professor at Drexel University, an online lecturer at Syracuse University, and a published author of many research papers, books and book chapters, and peer-reviewed articles. Her previous roles include providing counseling and art therapy to elementary students and adolescents with emotional, learning, and behavioral problems, supporting adults in recovery from substance abuse through expressive therapy, and facilitating creative workshops for cancer survivors and
Looking back, Gioia can trace the roots of
even the subjects, like math and language,
her journey to Millbrook’s classrooms and
in which she struggled. Matriculating to
studios. Following in her father’s footsteps
Bennington College in Vermont in 1985,
Gioia’s career embodies the Millbrook
– Karl Connell, Jr. ’42 – Gioia landed at
Gioia focused on sculpture and psychology
values of curiosity, service, stewardship,
Millbrook in 1981, thousands of miles from
in her undergraduate studies and then met
and integrity—through work that bridges
her home in Florida. Millbrook offered a
with an educational consultant to talk about
academic rigor with human emotion and
college-preparatory curriculum that was
where her interests might lead her. “I liked
imagination. She encourages her students
grounded by an integrated and excellent
being an artist, but I didn’t want to show
to trust the insights that can emerge
arts program and core values—including
my work in galleries and sell it. I wanted
through creative work and expressing
service and stewardship—that were
to work with people, help people.” The
themselves in the safe places she helps
imbued into students’ daily lives. Gioia
consultant introduced her to the profession
create. She is living out some of the lessons
took the opportunity presented to her and
of art therapy, and that eventually led to
she first learned at Millbrook: thinking
particularly loved her arts and history
her master’s degree in art therapy from
outside the box isn’t about rejecting
courses. “I have wonderful memories of my
George Washington University in 1994 and
structure—it’s about expanding it, making
art teacher, Mr. Beecher.”
commitment to the emerging field.
room for more voices, more questions, and
Encouraged by Mr. Beecher and other
In 2014, Gioia earned her PhD in Creative
teachers who valued both artistic
Arts Therapies from Drexel University,
caregivers.
more possibilities. In her life and work, Gioia embodies a truth
exploration and intellectual rigor, she
and since then, she has made significant
that Millbrook knows well: the world’s
developed an early sense that art and
contributions across clinical, educational,
greatest changes often begin with a spark of
creative thinking informed other subjects,
and community-based settings. At the
creativity and the courage to see it through.
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