Creativity and Healing: The Art of Expressive Therapy

From music to painting and from poetry to dance, self-expression thrives at Akron Children’s Emily Cooper Welty Expressive Therapy Center. Join us for a free conversation with music therapist Elizabeth Germano and narrative medicine coordinator Nicole Robinson, who will discuss the diverse, multimedia world of expressive therapy. This presentation will cover the benefits of expressive therapy, career paths into music therapy and narrative medicine, and the innovative approaches to healing happening right here in Akron, Ohio.

The session will consist of a 40-minute conversation with our speakers, followed by time for Q&A. All are welcome to learn about the intersection of arts and healing, and all attendees will receive free admission to the Cummings Center’s ongoing “Art as Therapy?” exhibit.

Please RSVP for this free event.

Elizabeth Germano earned her bachelor's degree in music education from the University of Akron and master's degree in music education and music therapy from East Carolina University. Liz completed her internship at Bethany Village in Dayton, Ohio, and has been a board-certified music therapist since 2008. Liz is also a certified NICU-MT, issued in 2019 by the National Institute for Infant and Child Medical Music Therapy, specializing in providing research-based music interventions to infants in the NICU setting. Liz currently serves as the full-time music therapist at Akron Children’s since 2018.

Nicole Robinson serves as the narrative medicine coordinator at Akron Children’s and teaches at Northeast Ohio Medical University. She is the author of the collection of “Without a Field Guide” (Unbound Edition Press) and her collaborative research work in narrative medicine has appeared in Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics, Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, Journal of Palliative Medicine and elsewhere. Robinson is the recipient of two Individual Excellence Award for poetry from the Ohio Arts Council and the Humanities Award in 2022 from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

The event will take place in the Cummings Center's Institute for Human Science and Culture, located on the 3rd floor of the Cummings Center building. The street address is 73 S. College Street Akron, Ohio 44325-4302 (on the corner of Mill and College Streets).

A wheelchair accessible ramp is located on the northeast side of the building, near the main entrance. An interior elevator provides access to the 3rd floor. A wheelchair is available to loan for those visiting. Please contact us ahead of time with any accessibility requirements so we can work together to make your visit comfortable.

For more information, see our accessibility page: https://uakron.edu/chp/about-us/accessibility.

A small parking lot is adjacent to the Cummings Center, on College St. There are also parking meters located along College St. or visitor parking available in Lot 30 (corner of College and Market streets).

UA staff, faculty, and student parking is available in Lot 40, off Mill St.

Local bus service is provided by Akron Metro. Stops closest to the Cummings Center are at Mill & College; E. Market & College; and Main & E. Bowery St. Further route details are available from Akron Metro.

For University of Akron students, faculty, and staff, the Roo Express stops at the nearby College St. Circle and at Fir Hill Towers.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Cummings Center for the History of Psychology, 73 South College Street, Akron, United States