St. Louis, MO -- At an early age Karen Barney learned about a profession that helped people with disabilities--whether physical or mental health In nature--to learn, grow, improve function and achieve true quality of life. That is why she pursued a career in the Occupational Therapy field. While working on her dissertation, she had a personal experience that led her to focus her efforts on incarcerated persons.

Today Karen J. Barney is a professor emeritus at St. Louis University, where she launched The Transformative Justice Program, a multipronged effort and educational program. This initiative is aimed at helping individuals who are currently incarcerated to learn professional/life skills that can help them transition more effectively into mainstream society, The program is a grant-funded initiative and by appearing on the radio, Karen hopes to raise awareness of the program and opportunities to support it.

Karen and her team collaborate with City, State and Federal criminal justice initiatives and work strategically toward organizational and social change. These groups also utilize evidence based transformation services, and engage community, university, and systems, in the transformative justice model. The program was envisioned In 2010 and established in 2014. It is an interdisciplinary effort within the University though Karen herself is affiliated with the SLU Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, within the College of Health Sciences.

As a professor, Karen is also involved in teaching and publishing endeavors that bring notoriety to the University.

For more information about Karen or the initiative, please visit: www.slu.edu/mission-identity/initiatives/transformative-justice