In
India, where art therapy is a new concept for many educators,
“things are changing much as I imagine they changed here
30 or 40 years ago,” says Prasad. “There is a big
interest in all kinds of therapies in India. With more people
being more educated, people are very receptive.”
To develop awareness among counselors and teachers, Prasad has created a workshop to introduce the fundamentals of art therapy and has toured India, working with children and educators alike.
She tailored her workshop for an Indian audience. “The
way the West looks at families and the teacher-student relationship
is very different from what people in India are used to. You have
to get readjusted to different kinds of boundaries,” she
explains.
Prasad is currently working on her first book, Creative Expression:
Art Education for the Indian Schools, which presents basic
art curriculum, with an entire chapter on art therapy. She hopes
to follow up with a book devoted exclusively to art therapy in
an Indian setting.
Prasad calls herself lucky to have studied with leaders in the field of art therapy at GW. She is particularly pleased to have worked with Elinor Ulman, Audrey Di Maria, Katherine Williams, and Edith Kramer, among others. “I received excellent training at GW. I had one of the best faculties teaching me, and wonderful supervisors when I did my field placement.” Prasad teaches and provides field supervision for the art therapy program and values her ongoing relationship with the faculty.
Through the Prasad Foundation, Sangeeta and Ramnath Prasad recently
made a generous match grant to the Katherine J. Williams Fund
to promote diversity in scholarship and in recruitment. For more
information about the fund, click here.
