Marie Whitman, CAC, ICADC
Poet and Writer. Mental Health Professional. Yoga Instructor and Bodyworker. Teacher and Counselor. Artist and Producer. Marie Whitman's life experience is eclectic but connected; Woven together by vigor and vision for health and wholeness of Body, Mind and Spirit and a potent passion for creative expression. She seeks these, not only for herself, but inspires these principles in others. Marie is a Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) through the Florida State Board and received her credential as an Internationally Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ICADC.) She has worked in the mental health and addiction recovery field since 2016. She currently leads dynamic group sessions at Recovery Unplugged and American Addiction Center’s Recovery First and previously at Compassion Behavioral Health, Galt Ocean Rehab and The Edge Recovery. She completed studies through the Academy for Addiction & Mental Health Nutrition, receiving certification as a CRNC, Certified Recovery Nutrition Coach. Marie is also certified in Y12SR, Yoga for 12 Step Recovery. Whitman is a member of the National Association for Poetry Therapy and offers Writing for Recovery programs within substance abuse treatment centers. She has been a grant recipient for her program "Poetry with a Purpose, which brought poetry classes and arts performances into Women-In-Distress domestic violence shelter in South Florida.
Marie has presented Poetry programming for youth of all ages. She was a frequent Teaching Artist with Memorial Healthcare’s New DAY Program which worked to divert juvenile offenders from the delinquency system and reduce recidivism. She led countless writing and spoken word programs with New Day and produced and edited three books of poetry containing the writings of the teen participants. In collaboration with Christina G Smith Community Mental Health, Marie presented writing workshops to youth experiencing emotional or behavioral challenges. Marie also created an interactive poetry presentation for the Miami Dade Cultural Affairs Arts Wellness Festival. Marie held the National Board Certification in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork from the state of Florida and is the former Director of Admissions for one of the top Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork schools in South Florida. She obtained certification in Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, Yin Yoga, Basic Certification in Structural Integration and Connective Tissue Bodywork and study and certification in Active Isolated Stretching and Thai Massage. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Communications and attended Pratt University's Spring Institute in Creative Arts Therapy.
From 2007 through 2014, Marie was Artistic Director of the Performing Arts studio space and collective of which she was the founder - NOMAC: North Miami Arts Collective. This performing arts studio was a homebase for many South Florida Artists, Dancers and Theater Companies. In 2018, Marie Co-Produced Women Crossing the Line Theater Festival which was presented at the main Broward County Library in Fort Lauderdale Florida. |