Distinguished Alumni Dr. David Gussak

Not only has Dr. David E. Gussak always loved art, he was motivated to become an art therapist and later teach art therapy to future clinicians because he benefited so much from making his own art as a young man. It steadied his life path, he says.

“I didn’t believe I was a great artist, nor did I want to ever become one; however, I really enjoyed making art, and it was one of the few classes I really enjoyed in high school and actually did well in. I found that doing art was a way for me to maintain a semblance of control and get a sense of self-efficacy. Quite frankly, I felt better after creating art.”

Today, Gussak is a professor for the Florida State University (FSU) Graduate Art Therapy Program, where he has taught with distinction for more than 20 years. He’s also the coordinator of the FSU/Florida Department of Corrections Art Therapy in Prison Program, in which he develops strategies and guides art therapists and trainees as they assist inmates with frustration tolerance, problem solving and re-establishing a sense of identity and self. An internationally recognized expert in his field, Gussak was named an Honorary Life Member of the American Art Therapy Association in 2022.

Gussak’s research interests are forensic art therapy and art therapy in correctional settings, which has led him to assist aggressive and violent adult populations, both in civilian life and in prisons, and juvenile justice populations. He has presented and published extensively internationally and nationally, including, among others, Art on Trial: Art Therapy for Capital Murder Cases (2013), Art and Art Therapy with the Imprisoned: Re-Creating Identity (2019), The Frenzied Dance of Art and Violence (2022) and co-edited The Wiley Handbook of Art Therapy (2016).

Art, Gussak says, “is a way to capture and contain emotions, work through transitions and use the art as the language of communication when words are not available. There are so many different ways that art can be expansive and used in various therapeutic levels.”

Originally from New York, Gussak’s education and work experience has taken him to campuses across the country, but his ties to Emporia State University run deep. He previously worked as an art therapy instructor and assistant professor at ESU and served as director of its graduate art therapy program (1998-2001). He also received his Ph.D. in Library and Information Management from ESU in 2001.

“My heart is with ESU, quite frankly,” he said. “Not only did I get my doctorate there and have a great relationship with my colleagues and a number of the faculty, but it gave me my start. It really launched my career.”

In her letter nominating Gussak for the Distinguished Alumni Award, Dr. Gaelynn Wolf Bordonaro, director of ESU’s art therapy program, praised the breadth of Gussak’s work in such a specialized and rewarding field.

“Emporia State University’s very own Dave Gussak is a pretty amazing one-man show, but he fully appreciates the trailblazing work that scaffolding of ideas, talents, and strengths make possible,” she wrote. “He seeks opportunities to appreciate and recognize the contributions and expertise of other leaders in the field of art therapy.”