Valery Shuman received her Masters in art therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2002. She is a board certified, registered art therapist and licensed clinical professional counselor. She worked at Heartland Alliance Health in various capacities 1998-2020, primarily with formerly homeless participants with a serious mental illness and a substance use disorder. She now serves as the Clinical Supervisor for a NIDA funded research study on the use of peer recovery coaching and case management for people with an opioid use disorder exiting incarceration. She has taught at the School of the Art Institute since 2008, and presented at both local and national conferences. Valery’s interests include applying art therapy and other creative interventions in a harm reduction setting, and working to reduce the stigma associated with having a mental illness and/or a substance use disorder. In 2007 she oversaw the creation and development of ArtWorks in partnership with faculty from the School of the Art Institute. ArtWorks is a community-based art studio dedicated to the use of art to reduce stigma.
