Janie Giles Carp is an accomplished art therapist and educator with over three decades of experience serving individuals across all stages of life. She holds a profound belief in the transformative power of creative expression and has dedicated her career to utilizing art as a therapeutic medium for healing, personal growth, and meaningful connection.
Janie returns to The STAR Center with renewed purpose and enthusiasm. From 2003 to 2017, she served as an integral member of the organization, helping to develop and manage the comprehensive Art and Music Therapies program. During her tenure, she provided both individual and group therapy services to clients with diverse disabilities, demonstrating exceptional skill in interdisciplinary collaboration and clinical supervision.
Her innovative contributions included spearheading the "Imagine Art and Music: I AM" project, specifically designed for individuals living with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. This groundbreaking initiative not only achieved meaningful therapeutic outcomes but also celebrated client creativity through public art exhibitions and community engagement opportunities.
Throughout her distinguished career, Janie has provided services across a wide spectrum of therapeutic and educational environments, including:
Memory care day programs
Behavioral health systems
Public Montessori education
University-level instruction
Most recently, she has contributed to the academic field by teaching pre-art therapy courses at Christian Brothers University, where she mentors emerging practitioners with the same dedication and insight that have characterized her own professional journey.
Janie maintains a dual commitment to education and therapy. She continues her full-time position as art teacher at Community Montessori in Jackson, Tennessee, while simultaneously returning to The STAR Center in a part-time capacity. Her work at STAR will focus on providing specialized art therapy services for individuals with disabilities, with particular emphasis on Ria's Heart—a program established by a local philanthropist who witnessed the transformative benefits of art therapy through her brother's experience.
As a former president of the Tennessee Art Therapy Association and a sought-after speaker at national, state, and local conferences, Janie brings extensive knowledge, genuine compassion, and creative innovation to every professional endeavor. Her return to The STAR Center represents a meaningful full-circle moment that reconnects her with a community she deeply values and reaffirms her lifelong commitment to empowering others through the arts.
Janie's work continues to be guided by her unwavering belief that creative expression serves as a powerful catalyst for healing, growth, and human connection, making art therapy accessible and meaningful for individuals of all abilities and backgrounds.