Founder and Director Emeritus
Toddy is the founding director of ITA and one of the founders of the National Association of Drama Therapy. She received her Masters of Education from the National College of Education and completed the Teacher Education Program at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis. For many years she was a stage and TV actress, and she has taught drama therapy courses at Columbia College and National-Lewis University. She served as Registry Chair for NADT and has presented workshops and papers for twenty-three annual conferences. During her time at ITA, she has provided drama therapy for preschool and grade-school children, adolescents, and the elderly.
Toddy imagined a world where our creative professions would be valued as much as any other form of therapy. Toddy set a vision for an institute with an integrated model of care where clients are celebrated for their unique strengths and abilities. ITA was born from Toddy’s vision and her spirit continues in our work each day.
Toddy’s humility is represented in our practice of clients as equal partners in the therapy process. Toddy’s authenticity is present in our transparent communication with our clients. Toddy’s integrity is demonstrated through our responsibility for our clients’ well-being and unwavering adherence to ethical behavior. We carry Toddy’s optimism with us as we recognize our clients’ strengths before we focus on their needs. Toddy’s sense of humor is with us when we play, create, make fools of ourselves, throw up our hands and laugh when the work presents unexpected challenges.
It is Toddy who inspires us all to believe in the inherent value of Creative Arts Therapy and to believe in ourselves and the work we offer. Her spirit will never let us forget how important our work is. In fact, she frequently directed us to pause and reflect on how much we were helping people. Toddy did not let us lose sight of our value, and so we will not either.