About the Presenters

Irit Birger Sagiv (PhD.) is an art therapist, lecturer, and researcher specializing in trauma-informed, inclusive art therapy with marginalized populations. She holds a PhD from the University of Haifa, where she explored civic engagement among socially excluded young women. Her work integrates community-based interventions, open studio models, and the use of art as a means of exploring identity, meaning-making, and existential themes. She has published in leading journals such as Frontiers in Psychology and AJOT, and serves as a reviewer for The Arts in Psychotherapy. Dr. Birger Sagiv teaches graduate art therapy courses and is committed to bridging clinical practice, research, and community dialogue around complex human experiences, including loss, mortality, and resilience.

Professor Johanna Czamanski-Cohen, PhD ATR-BC, is an Associate Professor and head of the Laboratory for the Psychosomatic Study of Art Therapy and the MA Art Therapy program at the University of Haifa’s School of Creative Arts Therapies, and a member of the Emili Sagol Creative Arts Therapies Research Center. A registered and board-certified art therapist with clinical training from New York University and doctoral studies from Ben-Gurion University, she also holds a research affiliation with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona School of Medicine. Her research is grounded in a psychosomatic medicine framework and seeks to bridge clinical practice and empirical science by examining both the effects and the underlying mechanisms of art therapy, spanning psychological and physiological dimensions.

Professor Czamanski-Cohen is the co-developer of the Bodymind Model of Art Therapy and the Drawing-based Emotional Processing Scale (DRAWEP), theoretical and measurement tools now integrated into training programs and research studies worldwide. A primary focus of her work is women’s health and psycho-oncology: she served as Co-PI of the NIH-funded REPAT study, a landmark mechanistic clinical trial of art therapy for breast cancer survivors, and continues to lead research exploring how emotional processing, heart rate variability, and cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathways mediate symptom reduction in cancer patients. Her scholarship, which spans over 50 peer-reviewed publications and has garnered more than 1,800 citations, reflects a deep commitment to culturally sensitive research, including studies conducted with Arab and ultra-orthodox women in Israel.

About the Presenter

Nicholas “Nick” Denson, MA, LCPC, LCADC, ATR-BC, NCC (he/him) is a queer art therapist, licensed professional counselor, and clinical alcohol and drug counselor based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He works full-time as a Military and Family Life Counselor with the United States Air Force, offering brief, solution-focused, non-medical support to service members and their families. His work centers on affirming care, trauma-informed practice, and expressive therapies that support agency and connection.  

About the Presenters

Alissa Paulison, MA, MSW, LPAT, ATR-BC, is a licensed, board-certified, and nationally credentialed art therapist with over seven years of experience providing art therapy services to children, adolescents, and adults. She earned her Master’s Degree in Art Therapy from New York University and a second Master’s Degree in Social Work from Rutgers University. Alissa has extensive experience working with adults in inpatient psychiatric settings, including specialized forensic and dementia units. She has also provided services across diverse environments including schools, shelters, supportive housing programs, and juvenile detention centers, both nationally and internationally. These varied experiences have informed her flexible, client-centered approach to therapy and her commitment to meeting individuals where they are in their healing process. Throughout her work, Alissa integrates symbolic, sensory, and experiential materials into art therapy sessions to support emotional exploration, relationship-building, and client engagement. She frequently utilizes nontraditional exploratory tools such as imagery-based prompts, symbolic objects, sensory materials, and reflective practices to create alternative pathways for self-expression and meaning-making when traditional verbal processing feels limiting. Grounded in ethical and culturally responsive practice, Alissa views these materials as opportunities for curiosity, personal reflection, and creative exploration rather than sources of interpretation or prescribed meaning. Through art-making and symbolic engagement, clients are encouraged to develop deeper self-awareness, explore personal narratives, and access emotions in ways that feel authentic and empowering.

Joanna Flora, MA, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPAT, PMH-C, is a licensed, board-certified art therapist and counselor specializing in work with children, adolescents, adults, and families. She is the founder and clinical director of Flora & Associates, a group practice providing art therapy services across schools, community programs, and private practice settings. Joanna also serves as President-Elect of the New Jersey Art Therapy Association (NJATA). Joanna has extensive experience developing innovative art therapy interventions that help clients access emotions, explore identity, and process complex experiences through creative expression. Her work focuses on expanding therapeutic engagement through symbolic, sensory, and experiential approaches that honor client meaning-making while maintaining ethical and clinically grounded practice.

In her clinical work, Joanna thoughtfully incorporates nontraditional exploratory tools, including tarot imagery, crystals, aromatherapy, sacred texts, and other symbolic materials, as reflective prompts within the therapeutic process. These tools are utilized not as predictive or prescriptive interventions, but as pathways for self-exploration, emotional insight, creative expression, and therapeutic dialogue. Through this approach, clients are invited to engage with personal symbolism, deepen self-awareness, and access internal experiences that may be difficult to express through words alone. Joanna also integrates these exploratory materials into practical coping and skill-building interventions. Through art-making, symbolic reflection, and sensory engagement, clients develop mindfulness practices, grounding techniques, emotional awareness, distress tolerance, and self-regulation skills that can be applied beyond the therapy session. In addition to her clinical work, Joanna provides supervision to clinicians and interns, develops training programs for helping professionals, and collaborates with schools and community organizations to expand access to mental health and art therapy services. She is passionate about helping clinicians thoughtfully expand their creative therapeutic approaches while maintaining strong ethical, cultural, and clinical foundations.

About the Presenter

Manissha Khanna, MFAAT, Dip.ExAT, is an art therapist, artist, researcher, and Pranic healer with over fifteen years of experience integrating expressive arts with mental health and wellbeing. Her work combines art therapy, mindfulness, art-based meditation, and nature-based approaches to support emotional healing, trauma recovery, and holistic wellness. She has worked across healthcare, academic, corporate, and community settings, with a particular interest in the therapeutic potential of sustained creative practice, contemplative art, and culturally informed approaches to mental health.

In 2021, she played a key role in establishing India’s first master’s programme in Art Therapy at MIT ADT University, Pune, where she served on the Board of Studies and continues as a visiting faculty member. She presented in person and was the closing plenary speaker at the American Art Therapy Association’s 55th Annual Conference in Pittsburgh in 2024. Manissha is a co-author of the chapter “Ankur” in Wiley’s Handbook of Art Therapy (2nd Edition), and she is the founder of Divine Energies, a healing and art-as-therapy platform.

About the Presenters

Sara Nami, MA, ATR-BC, L-CAT, LCAS-A, is an art therapist with extensive experience working with children, adolescents, and families in clinical and therapeutic settings. She specializes in creative, experiential approaches that support emotional expression, coping skills, and resilience. Her experience includes inpatient and partial hospitalization programs, as well as providing individual and group art therapy to military-connected youth and families at Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center. 

About the Presenters

Stacey Kamp, PhD, LMFT, ATR-BC, is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Board-Certified Art Therapist, educator, researcher, and artist. She specializes in anxiety, trauma, grief, and life transitions, integrating art therapy with evidence-based and psychodynamic approaches. Dr. Kamp’s doctoral research explored the relationship between self-acceptance and anxiety reduction through the Tree Ring Self-Portrait, a novel art therapy intervention. She teaches graduate students, maintains a private practice in Marin County, California, and continues an active visual art practice that informs her clinical and research work.

About the Presenters

Dakota Flanagan is a 27-year-old first-generation, nontraditional student studying Art Therapy at West Virginia University in Wild and Wonderful WV. Her current research focuses on examining the relationship between learning new skills and self-esteem/self-efficacy. She graduates in December 2026 with hopes of acceptance to George Washington University, Notre Dame of Maryland, and others, where she will continue this research as my master’s thesis in pursuit of my Art Therapy master’s.

Annie McFarland, PhD, ATR-BC, is an artist, art therapist, and educator currently working as Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Art Therapy program at West Virginia University. She obtained her MS in art therapy in 2013 and her PhD in art education with emphasis in art therapy in 2020. She has clinical experience working in inpatient psychiatric facilities, hospice and bereavement, memory care, developmental disabilities, and community arts settings. Her doctoral research focused on using papermaking for narrative storytelling and trauma recovery with older veterans. She has also expanded her artistic and therapeutic practice in papermaking to work with community loss, bereavement, mental health recovery, and social activism. She is also a collaborator with Peace Paper Project, an international community-arts initiative that utilizes traditional papermaking as a form of trauma therapy, social engagement, and community activism.

Candice Chan, MA, AThR, is drawn to the wonder of the creative process and its potential for healing through art. Guided by this sense of wonderment, she has practised across healthcare and community settings in Singapore, supporting older adults living with dementia, people with intellectual and developmental challenges, and children and families in early intervention.

Grounded in the belief that meaningful change often begins in the smallest moments, Candice draws on her roots in behavioural science and industrial-organisational psychology to help young minds tell their stories and build resilience. Beyond her clinical work, she also leads workshops that invite professionals to reconnect with creativity as a tool for insight and meaningful change.

About the Presenters

Mia de Béthune, PhD, ATR-BC, LCAT, ISP/SEP, is an artist, writer, art therapy educator, and somatic therapy practitioner who is on the faculty of the New York University Graduate Art Therapy Program and the School of Visual Arts MPS Graduate Art Therapy Program. She has been teaching for 16 years. Her clinical history includes working in foster care with youth and families with high exposure to trauma. She also spent several years as art therapy support to children and families in hospice and palliative care. Her private practice in suburban New York, is focused on integrating somatic trauma treatment and art therapy for adults and children. She is trained in Somatic Experiencing, Integral Somatic Psychology, Inner Relationship Focusing, and reiki. She has also studied Guided Drawing, Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy, and Somatic Art Therapy techniques. Her doctoral research in Expressive Arts Therapy at Lesley University was focused on the intersection of art therapy and embodied methods. As part of her coursework, Mia developed the concept for the book project – The Embodied Art Therapist and recruited Kelley Linhardt and Valeria Koutmina to form an editing team.

Cornelia Elbrecht, MA, AThR, SEP, ANZACATA, IEATA, IACAET, is the founder and director of the Institute for Sensorimotor Art Therapy, a leader in ground breaking art therapy techniques with a particular focus on healing trauma. An art therapist with over 40 years experience she is a renowned author, educator and the founder and director of the Institute for Sensorimotor Art Therapy. Cornelia studied Expressive Arts Therapies at the School for Initiatic Therapy in the Black Forest, Germany and holds degrees in fine arts and arts education along with extensive postgraduate training in Jungian and Gestalt Therapy, Bioenergetics and at the Somatic Experiencing Training Institute (SETI). Best known for her cutting-edge work with Guided Drawing® and Clay Field Therapy®, she holds regular workshops around the world and at Claerwen Retreat in Apollo Bay, Australia – an internationally respected arts therapy education facility. Author of numerous books, she runs accredited online courses for art therapists, educators and mental health professionals looking to understand a body focused art therapy approach to trauma therapy. Visit her website: www.sensorimotorarttherapy.com

Johanne Hamel, D. Ps. AATQ, CATA, Psychologist and Art psychotherapist, is a retired professor of Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, where she taught art therapy for 20 years. She retired from the Université in 2017 but is still active in the field. She is currently teaching annually at the International Program of Art Therapy in Thailand (IPATT) and in Geneva, with Swiss and French art therapists. She maintains a small private practice in Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada. She is regularly invited to present lectures or workshops in International Conferences in Europe, USA and Canada about Somatic art therapy or Dreams and art therapy. She offers in April each year workshops in French in Costa Rica. She is also a visual artist and an art therapy author. She published books both in French and English. Among her titles are: Somatic Art Therapy, Alleviating Pain and Trauma Through Art (2021), New York and London: Routledge; Dreams, Art Therapy and Healing, Through the Looking Glass (2020), New York and London: Routledge

Laury Rappaport, Ph.D., LMFT, ATR-BC, REAT, pioneered and developed Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy (FOAT®) and Focusing-Oriented Expressive Arts Therapy (FOAT®)—approaches grounded in over 40 years of clinical practice with adults, adolescents, children, individuals, families, and groups. She is the author of Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy: Accessing the Body’s Wisdom and Creative Intelligence, and Mindfulness and the Arts Therapies: Theory and Practice, and numerous book chapters. Her work is included as foundational approaches in Judith Rubin’s Approaches to Art Therapy (3rd edition), and Cathy Malchiodi’s Handbook of Expressive Arts Therapy. Dr. Rappaport has served on the faculty of Lesley University’s Expressive Therapies Division for over 40 years, and has also taught at Notre Dame de Namur University and Sonoma State University. She is the Founder/Director of the Focusing and Expressive Arts Institute, offering training programs in the U.S., Guatemala, Hong Kong, Japan, and other countries. Dr. Rappaport is also Certifying Coordinator, Focusing-Oriented Therapist, and Trainer with The International Focusing Institute in New York.

About the Presenters

Dr. Maricel Ocasio-Figueroa, ATR-BC, is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Board-Certified Art Therapist with more than 20 years of experience. She earned a Master’s degree in Art Therapy from The George Washington University and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Argosy University. After completing her education and professional training, she returned to Puerto Rico in 2019. As founder of Arte Terapia PR, Inc., Dr. Ocasio-Figueroa develops innovative programs that integrate psychology, art, and social-emotional learning to support children, families, educators, and communities. Her work has included initiatives serving families of accidentally burned children, youth participating in museum-based social-emotional learning programs, and students in Puerto Rico’s public school system. In addition to maintaining a private practice, she consults with the Puerto Rico’s Department of Education on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). A respected leader in her field, she co-founded and served as President of the Puerto Rico Art Therapy Association until 2018 and has presented in local and national conferences. She is passionate about promoting creative expression to foster emotional and psychological growth. She is also a proud mother of two amazing boys and a mischievous puppy.

Hazel Castro Corujo, MA, holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Puerto Rico and an MA in Neuropsychology from the University of Salamanca, Spain. She is currently completing a second MA in Academic-Investigative Psychology, with a focus on teaching and research in expressive arts. Since 2019, she has collaborated with ATPR, where she currently serves as Director of Special Projects. She also coordinates the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) project for Puerto Rico’s Department of Education and is the author of the poetry collection Ontología del verso. 

Marilina Arsuaga Morales is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Expressive Arts Therapist committed to fostering emotional wellbeing through creative and evidence-based approaches. She earned her Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling with Expressive Arts Therapy from Lesley University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Expressive Arts Therapy from The European Graduate School. Her clinical work focuses on adolescents, young adults, families, and community populations, integrating expressive arts methods with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to encourage self-expression, resilience, and personal growth. Through roles at Mind Canvas, Arte Terapia PR Inc., and community-based initiatives, she has facilitated therapeutic interventions, socio-emotional workshops, and trauma-informed programs that support diverse populations. Marilina is deeply passionate about advancing the field of expressive arts therapy in Puerto Rico while promoting inclusive, strengths-based approaches to mental health care and community wellness.

About the Presenters

Shirin Mazdeyasna, born and raised in Tehran, Iran, is a multidisciplinary artist and a licensed, board-certified Creative Arts Therapist in the United States. She provides trauma-informed therapy to survivors of crime and prolonged abuse across two rural counties of the Upper Hudson Valley of New York and supports the region’s rape crisis hotline. Shirin holds an MA in Art Therapy from New York University and a dual BAFA degree from The New School. She has presented nationally on trauma-informed, survivor-centered community initiatives and evidence-based clinical cases.

About the Presenters

Nehama Grenimann Bauch is an art therapist, researcher, and lecturer whose work focuses on trauma-informed, relational, and community-based art therapy with displaced and marginalized populations. She recently completed her PhD in Art Psychotherapy at Brunel University London, where she developed clinical guidelines for engaging refugee and asylum-seeking parents in their children’s art therapy processes.

About the Presenters

Joshua Brancheau, ATR-BC, LCAT, is a licensed, board-certified art therapist with 10+ years’ experience. He joined The Art Therapy Project (TATP) as their Staff Art Therapist in 2020 quickly developing a TeleArt Therapy program to support clients during the pandemic. He then redesigned TATP’s studio to accommodate hybrid groups and support a safe return to in-person therapy. In 2022, Joshua was promoted to Clinical Director, expanding existing partnerships and initiating new community collaborations to help address increased demand. His master’s thesis focused on how art therapy can support community organizations reduce employee burnout, he currently teaches Physiology for the School of Visual Arts MPS Art Therapy program and has presented his work and ran workshops nationally, and internationally.

Annalee Mueller, BS, is a Research Assistant and Project Manager in the Center on Aging and Behavioral Research at Weill Cornell Medicine. Through examining technology-based social and cognitive interventions for diverse older adult populations, her work emphasizes intergenerational and interdisciplinary approaches to psychosocial care. Her research interests focus on the use of technology to promote neuroplasticity, social inclusion, and quality of life among older adults with chronic conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, social isolation, HIV/AIDS, as well as those experiencing normative aging.

Ian Kwok, MD, is a palliative care physician and Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine, serving as Director of Community Outreach and Education and Director of the Palliative Care House Call Program. His research explores multimodal approaches to clinical communication and medical education, including the integration of creative arts therapies for patients with serious illness. He also serves as an editorial board member of Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association and as an associate editor of the Journal of Palliative Medicine.

About the Presenters

Dr. Linda Gantt, PhD, ATR-BC, HLM, is the co-owner of the ITR Training Institute, Morgantown, WV. She has presented nationally and internationally on art therapy in trauma treatment and the Instinctual Trauma Response as well as on the Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS) that she and Carmello Tabone developed.

Yves Hughes, Jr. is Chief Technology & Product Officer at Help for Trauma, where he builds software for trauma-focused therapy and research. He brings more than fifteen years of AI, data science and product experience across organizations including Salesforce, AT&T, Intuit and PepsiCo, and holds a Master of Science in Data Science and Machine Learning from Southern Methodist University and an MBA in Technology Management. For the FEATS digital archive he designed and built featsresearch.org, the system that digitized, de-identified and rated Dr. Linda Gantt’s thirty-year collection of Person Picking an Apple from a Tree drawings, and the AI rater that applies the FEATS manual’s criteria at archive scale. He is also the founder and board president of Foster & Adoption Support, where he and his wife build tools to help families and youth in foster care and adoption.

Annie McFarland is a board-certified art therapist and arts educator at West Virginia University. She earned her BFA in photography and design from Kendall College of Art & Design in 2008 and her MS in art therapy from Florida State University in 2013. She continued her academic journey at Florida State University and earned her PhD in art education with emphasis in art therapy in 2020. Her doctoral dissertation, “The Impact of Papermaking on Self-Efficacy of Older Military Veterans: A Mixed-Methods Single Case Study”, focused on narrative storytelling and trauma recovery through art therapy papermaking methodologies. She has continued engaging in papermaking art therapy practices and recently published a chapter her personal experiences with the papermaking practice in the book, “The Art and Art Therapy of Papermaking”.

She has clinical experience working in inpatient psychiatric facilities, hospice and bereavement, memory care, developmental disabilities, and community arts settings. She has also expanded her artistic and therapeutic practice in papermaking to work with community loss, bereavement, mental health recovery, and social activism. She is an active collaborator with Peace Paper Project, an international community-arts initiative that utilizes traditional papermaking as a form of trauma therapy, social engagement, and community activism. As the program coordinator for both the art therapy program and the graduate certificate in therapeutic art, Annie emphasizes the importance of accessibility, culturally responsive teaching pedagogy, and collaborative relationships in the arts, mental health, and medical disciplines.

About the Presenters

Dr. Carolyn Brown Treadon is a Registered and Board-Certified art therapist (ATR-BC) and an Art Therapy Certified Supervisor (ATCS). She is currently the Assistant Chair, Program Coordinator for Art Therapy and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology, Counseling and Art Therapy at Pennsylvania Western University. She received a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) and Fine Art (Painting) degrees from Ohio University, Master of Arts in Expressive Therapy from The University of Louisville and a Ph.D. from Florida State University. Before beginning teaching, she provided art therapy services in alternative schools and out-patient settings before becoming clinical supervisor of a community based mental health clinic. Her published research includes topics on utilizing art museums in the therapeutic process and using the art therapy process to alter individual’s perceptions and attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. She continues to explore how using resources such as the museum and other experience based practices can be utilized to further students’ knowledge acquisition during their training to become art therapists.

Rachel Mims, MS, ATR-BC, LPC-AT-S, is a Board-Certified Art Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor–Supervisor, and U.S. Army veteran with over a decade of experience working with veterans, LGBTQ+, neurodivergent individuals, and those with chronic health conditions in community mental health and private practice. She provides clinical supervision to counselors and art therapists pursuing licensure and professional credentialing, with a focus on ethical practice, professional identity development, and trauma-informed care. Rachel serves on the Board of Directors for the American Art Therapy Association and has held multiple leadership roles within the North Texas Art Therapy Association.

Nadia Paredes, MA, LMFT, ATR, is a published author, international speaker, and consultant specializing in disaster response and community mental health. With over 15 years of experience as a registered art therapist, she develops preventive mental health programs that foster resilience, creativity, and emotional well-being, with a focus on immigrants, older adults, and youth. Trained in mindfulness and as an Intuition Painting® facilitator, she designs bilingual, arts-based initiatives that promote emotional regulation and community wellbeing. A former President of the American Art Therapy Association, Nadia also serves as a clinical supervisor and adjunct professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies, Loyola Marymount University, and Metáfora Art Therapy School in Spain.

Chelsea Plotner is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Board-Certified Art Therapist with more than 12 years of experience in the mental health field. She earned her Master of Arts in Art Therapy from Florida State University and is the founder of Willing Hearts Creative Counseling, LLC, a private practice providing integrative, affirming mental health services.

Chelsea’s clinical practice incorporates Art Therapy alongside evidence-informed approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and trauma-informed care. Her professional interests include the integration of creative and expressive processes into mental health treatment, emotional regulation, identity development, LGBTQ+ affirming care, and the use of art-making to support self-expression, therapeutic insight, and healing. In addition to her clinical practice, she is committed to professional education, mentorship, and the development of emerging mental health and art therapy professionals. In addition to clinical practice, Chelsea provides clinical supervision to emerging mental health professionals and supports developing art therapists as they work toward professional licensure and board certification. She is committed to professional education, mentorship, and strengthening the future of the art therapy profession.

About the Presenters

Gretchen M. Miller, LPAT, ATR-BC, is a Registered Board Certified Licensed Professional Art Therapist in Northeast Ohio, United States. Gretchen is also an art therapy educator, regional, national, and international speaker, workshop facilitator, author, supervisor, and community organizer. She is a Past President of Ohio’s Buckeye Art Therapy Association, served on the American Art Therapy Association’s Board of Directors, and is an Associate Editor of AATA’s Journal as Social Media Coordinator. To contact Gretchen, please visit gretchen-miller.com.

Susan Ainlay Anand, MA, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPAT, graduated from the New York University art therapy program, where she trained under art therapy pioneer Edith Kramer. She is a licensed art therapist in Mississippi, where she has practiced in both inpatient and outpatient settings since 1982. Susan served as a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center from 1987 to 2025, providing outpatient clinical services and education to psychiatry residents. Through the Mississippi Museum of Art, she facilitated groups for cancer patients, individuals with memory loss, and those with traumatic brain injuries, along with their caregivers, as well as a group for adults seeking wellness through art viewing and art-making. Susan has published journal articles and book chapters and is an author and co-editor of The Legacy of Edith Kramer: A Multifaceted View (2018). In 2021, she helped establish the MFA in Art Therapy program at MIT-ADT in Pune, India, and served as adjunct faculty until 2026. Susan has served on the board of AATA and the ATCB, and is a member of the Professional Affairs Committee and co-leader of the ISIG of AATA.

About the Presenters

Bani Malhotra is an Assistant Professor in the art therapy program at Florida State University’s Department of Art Education. She is a Board-Certified Registered Art Therapist℠ and a Licensed Professional Counselor (Colorado). Dr. Malhotra’s research advances and evaluates psychosocial and art therapy interventions to improve health related outcomes across trauma, injury, and illness adjustment. Dr. Malhotra has an extensive publication record of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in therapeutic mechanisms, rehabilitation in the context of traumatic brain injury, burn-care, post-traumatic stress, as well as innovative arts approaches including visual thinking strategies and heritage arts. Dr. Malhotra currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Art Therapy Association. Her creative practice spans fiber arts and encaustic, alongside a growing interest in coding data visualizations.

Dr. Trish Shewokis is a Professor at Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions and School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems. With over 30 years of academic and research experience, she specializes in statistical applications that advance interdisciplinary work in health, neuroscience, biomedical engineering, and creative arts therapies. Her expertise includes research design, measurement, advanced statistics, machine learning, AI, data visualizations, neuroimaging, wearable technologies, and brain–behavior science. As Director of the CNHP Biostatistical Core, she provides methodological consultation, doctoral quantitative training, data interpretation, and data visualization support. Her art therapy collaborations include mixed-methods studies of burn patients and clinical protocol development for evidence-based practice research.

About the Presenters

Juliet L. King, PhD, ATR-BC, LPC, LMHC, is a Professor of Transpersonal Art Therapy at Naropa University and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Neurology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. With over 25 years of experience as a clinician, educator, and researcher, her work sits at the intersection of art therapy and neuroscience, focused on supporting healing, resilience, and trauma recovery across diverse communities. Dr. King is the creator of BrainPalette™, an evidence-based and neuroscience-informed digital knowledge ecosystem designed to help clinicians, educators, and researchers better understand what’s happening in the therapeutic process and translate that insight into meaningful, creative interventions. Juliet’s work emphasizes making complex science accessible and usable in real-world practice, while maintaining a strong commitment to ethical, human-centered care. She holds a PhD in Translational Health Sciences and is the co-author and co-editor of Art Therapy, Neuroscience, and Trauma: Theoretical and Practical Perspectives (2nd ed., 2024).

Stefan Oliva is co-founder and CEO of FrameShare, the first HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform purpose-built for art therapy.

His work draws on a decade of experience across social impact and private enterprise, including nine years at Gro Intelligence, an agriculture and climate tech startup, where he began as the firm’s first intern in Nairobi and later worked in the Office of the CEO, leading strategic partnerships and representing the company at the United Nations during the 2022 global food crisis. Originally from Queens, NY, he holds an MBA from Yale University and a BA in both International Relations and African Studies from Colgate University.

Since launching in late 2025, FrameShare has helped facilitate care for thousands of users across 29 countries, in addition to supporting several academic research studies. Stefan is lead author on a chapter for an upcoming Routledge publication on neuroaesthetics, and has been an invited speaker for professional mental health associations across the US, Canada, Australia, and South Africa.

Stephan Meyer, CTO of FrameShare, holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the Max Planck Institute and completed postdoctoral research at Rockefeller University. He spent seven years advancing hardware and software to study the visual cortex and published in top journals. Stephan later focused on software and data in early-stage startups, building engineering teams and consumer products, especially within satellite and climate tech. He also consulted on clinical wearable technology. At FrameShare, Stephan leads product development and oversees core technology, security, and key user features, applying a scientific and innovative approach throughout the platform.

Erin Rafferty-Bugher ATR-BC, LPCC, ATCS. Erin holds a Master’s degree in Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has been dedicated to providing art therapy services and advancing the role of creativity in healing since 1998. Her clinical expertise encompasses individuals across the lifespan, including the delivery of trauma-informed art therapy within long-term school-based therapeutic environments, as well as children/ adolescent, adult inpatient and outpatient mental health settings. Furthermore, she has spearheaded the implementation and ongoing development of art therapy initiatives across numerous clinical agencies throughout the Twin Cities region.

Throughout her career, Erin has broadened access to art therapy for diverse populations, including community-based organizations, individuals with cognitive and developmental challenges, and older adults navigating dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Her experience also includes pediatric patients confronting end-of-life challenges associated with cancer.

Instruction, clinical supervision, and mentorship represent core pillars of her professional career. She was instrumental in establishing Minnesota’s inaugural CAAHEP-accredited art therapy program. In addition, Erin provides clinical supervision and consultation to mental health practitioners and art therapists, fostering their ongoing professional growth and identity. Currently, Erin offers organizational consultation and wellness support services designed to promote employee creativity, health, and institutional sustainability.

About the Presenters

Soyeon Kong is an art therapist who holds a Ph.D. in Integrated Art Therapy from Ewha Womans University in the Republic of Korea. Her research has focused on human rights sensitivity in art therapists and the use of emerging technologies, such as VR and AI, in art therapy. She currently works across community mental health, youth counseling, and educational welfare settings.

Ye-seul Choi is an art therapist who has completed the doctoral
coursework Integrated Art Therapy at Ewha Womans University in
Republic of Korea. Also, Her primary research focuses AI-assisted art
therapy, the psychological well-being, and art therapy for visual artists.

KyeongA Han is a professor in the Art Therapy Education program at the Graduate School of Education, Ewha Womans University, Republic of Korea. KyeongA’s primary research interests include VR- and AI-based art therapy, as well as school-based art therapy.

About the Presenter

Devika Sundar, MAAT, AThR, is an interdisciplinary artist and credentialed art psychotherapist based in Bangalore, India. Trained in psychodynamic practice, she holds a Master’s in Art Therapy from LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore. In her therapeutic approach, she brings a person-centred and trauma-informed lens, paying close attention to each individual’s pace, needs, and lived context, and offering a space grounded in safety, attunement and care. Devika has worked with children and adolescents living with chronic illness, rare degenerative conditions, and developmental disabilities, as well as women and children survivors of domestic violence at a crisis shelter in Singapore. Over the years, Devika has facilitated therapeutic and community art workshops for children and adults from diverse backgrounds. She has collaborated with institutions such as St. John’s Medical College Hospital, India Foundation for the Arts, and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. In 2019, she founded Saya, a therapeutic art space and community open studio in Bangalore,, India. Devika’s own artistic and curatorial practice explores art as a restorative, rehabilitative medium; expressing collective themes of invisibility, illness, memory and impermanence within personal and shared human experience. Devika’s work and research has been exhibited across India and featured in various publications.

About the Presenters

Paige Scheinberg, MS, ATR-BC, is a Board-Certified Art Therapist and founder of SHINE ON Consulting. She has worked with people of all ages through clinical art therapy, creative workshops, professional development, wellness, and self-care programs. Mandalas and the Great Round are foundational to her approach, helping individuals explore creativity, self-expression, compassion, and the cycles of life. Through her work, Paige is passionate about helping others cultivate sustainable happiness and flourish through meaningful creative experiences.

Susanne Fincher, ATR, LPC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Board Certified-Registered Art Therapist with more than 40 years of experience exploring the therapeutic and reflective practice of creating mandalas. Inspired by the work of C. G. Jung and mentored by art therapist Joan Kellogg, she has introduced thousands of people in the U.S. and internationally to the psychological, spiritual, and health-enhancing dimensions of mandala creation through her counseling practice, books, lectures, classes, and workshops. She is the author of Creating Mandalas and continues to use mandala-making as a personal practice dedicated to healing, reflection, and connection.

Sharon Boaz, M.A.AT, is a Ph.D. candidate at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and a practicing art therapist. She holds a Master’s degree in Art Therapy and serves as a lecturer in the Graduate Art Therapy Program at Beit Berl College. Clinically, she works at the National Trauma Clinic at Sheba Medical Center and maintains a private practice. Her academic research sits at the intersection of community-based art therapy and trauma intervention, with a particular focus on outdoor therapeutic settings and their unique dynamics. Her doctoral dissertation explores how the natural environment can be integrated into the artistic healing process.

Liat Shamri Zeevi, PhD, is an art therapist, researcher, clinical supervisor, and Senior Lecturer at Ono Academic College, where she serves as Head of the Master’s Art Therapy Program. With more than 20 years of clinical and academic experience, her work focuses on trauma, parenting, art-based interventions, and the integration of digital technologies such as virtual reality and smartphones into art therapy. She is a published author and researcher with more than 28 peer-reviewed articles and has held leadership roles within the Israeli Higher Council for Creative Arts Therapies and the European Consortium of Arts Therapies Education (ECArTE).

Dr. Neta Ram-Vlasov is a psychotherapist, art therapist, lecturer, and researcher integrating art therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, trauma-informed practice, creative processes, and psychedelic integration. She completed her PhD in Art Therapy at the University of Haifa and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Mofet Institute. Neta teaches in graduate art-therapy programs at Ono Academic College and Herzog College, and previously taught at Beit Berl College, the University of Haifa, and Tel-Hai University. Clinically, she works as a psychotherapist with adults at Safe Heart organization and the Impulse Integrative Clinical Center, and previously worked as an art therapist with adults, adolescents, and children in health and welfare settings. Her research focuses on mindfulness-based art therapy, trauma, creativity and post-traumatic growth, artmaking in aging, intermodal and projective assessment methods, sleep and creativity, neuroscience-informed group therapy, and art-based psychedelic integration.

Rapinder Kaur is a renowned Sikh Canadian Art Therapist and Registered Psychotherapist (RP), Clinical Supervisor, public speaker, community organizer, experienced facilitator, and the founder of Art as Therapy—a community-based private practice with locations in southern Ontario. Rapinder’s work is grounded in empowerment, reciprocity, community connectedness, social justice, and belonging.

Jane Kwon is a Registered Psychotherapist, art therapist, and a counsellor who specializes in working with children, youth, and families. Her work focuses on empowering her clients to reconnect with their inner strengths, foster self-compassion and build competence in navigating life’s challenges and achieving their goals.

Deeply passionate about art-making, Jane believes in the transformative power of creative expression to support the therapeutic process. Whether working with children or adults, she brings playfulness, curiosity, and creativity into her sessions, creating a safe and non-judgmental space where clients can explore and express themselves freely.

Jane has worked in a variety of settings, including schools, universities, community mental health centers, hospices, women’s shelters, group homes, and private practices. She is honored to serve as an advocate, guide, and witness to her clients’ journey of healing, growth, and self-discovery.

About the Presenters

Sangeeta Prasad, ATR-BC, is an art therapist, educator, author, artist, and nonprofit leader with over three decades of international experience. She has played a pioneering role in developing art therapy education and training initiatives in India while sustaining an active clinical, supervisory, and teaching practice. She is one of the founding faculty members of the MFA Art Therapy program at the Maharashtra Institute of Technology (MIT) School of Fine Arts and Design in Pune, India.

An accomplished author, she wrote Creative Expressions: Say It with Art and has contributed to several key publications, including Using Art Therapy with Diverse Populations, Asian Art Therapists: Navigating Art, Diversity, Culture, and Practice, Bridging the Creative Arts Therapies, Exploring Ethical Dilemmas in Art Therapy, and The Wiley Handbook of Art Therapy (2nd edition). Her work centers on cross-cultural practice, community mental health, and global professional collaboration. In recognition of her contributions to the field, she was awarded the President’s Award from the American Art Therapy Association.

Ashmi Shet, ATR-P, is an art therapist, author, and educator based in Mumbai, India. She holds a Master’s degree in Counselling and Art Therapy from PennWest Edinboro University, USA. Her clinical practice spans individual and group work with diverse populations, addressing trauma, mood disorders, rehabilitation, and wellness. In addition to therapeutic services, she designs corporate art therapy programs for global organizations, integrating creativity into leadership development, communication, and stress management.

Ashmi has served as a lecturer at MIT-ADT School of Fine Arts, Pune, and continues to contribute as a guest lecturer at multiple institutions while supervising interns and emerging professionals in the field. Her research and publications explore mandala creation and the transformative role of art in trauma recovery and mental health, advancing art therapy as both a clinical and expressive practice. She has presented at national conferences, co-created award-winning animation films, and received recognition for her debut poetry collection, silence echoed: poetries that heal.

Mary Andrus is an assistant professor and program director of the Art Therapy Program in the Graduate School of Education and Counseling at Lewis and Clark. She is a documentary filmmaker, art therapist, activist and community organizer.

She has focused her career on expanding the lens of the practice of art therapy, examining societal context, and creating equity in the relational wellbeing of clients. Her scholarship focus is on expanding clinical practice beyond traditional practices, the use of film in reintegration and implications of art therapy in the treatment of collective trauma.

She led Oregon in passing historic art therapy legislation for title and practice protection in 2017 and insurance reimbursement in 2025. She has directed/edited/produced several films, published numerous book chapters and articles in the field of art therapy.

About the Presenters

Kelley Linhardt, MA, LCAT, ATR-BC, CCTP, is an art therapist, family therapist, and trauma specialist in private practice in Dublin, Ireland and is a faculty member at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Kelley’s background in trauma-informed embodied therapy developed through education and training including completion of the International Trauma Studies Program and the Ways of Seeing International Training program in dyadic dance/ movement therapy and is EMDR-trained and a Level II Reiki Practitioner. Kelley also honed her skills through practice, learning about embodied multimodal work as the Sensory Modulation Trainer at Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn, NY and as a clinician at Dancing Dialogue, a private practice focused on dance/movement and embodied play therapy. Kelley did additional postgraduate training at the Ackerman Institute for the Family in New York City. She has experience working with clients across the lifespan, is a painter, and a mother. Kelley has presented her work nationally and internationally and is a co-editor and author of The Embodied Art Therapist (Routledge, 2026).

An accomplished author, she wrote Creative Expressions: Say It with Art and has contributed to several key publications, including Using Art Therapy with Diverse Populations, Asian Art Therapists: Navigating Art, Diversity, Culture, and Practice, Bridging the Creative Arts Therapies, Exploring Ethical Dilemmas in Art Therapy, and The Wiley Handbook of Art Therapy (2nd edition). Her work centers on cross-cultural practice, community mental health, and global professional collaboration. In recognition of her contributions to the field, she was awarded the President’s Award from the American Art Therapy Association.

Bri Beck, LCPC, ATR-BC (she/her) is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Board Certified Registered Art Therapist based in Chicago. She holds a Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ball State University. Bri is a disabled art therapist living with pseudoachondroplasia, a rare skeletal dysplasia, and her work is deeply informed by her lived experience navigating medical systems, inaccessible environments, chronic pain, and disability identity. In her private practice, Bri supports teens and adults navigating disability, chronic illness, and rare conditions through individual and relationship therapy. She also frequently offers consultation and training for healthcare professionals and organizations in disability-affirming care. She is a part-time faculty member in the Department of Art Therapy at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and serves on the board of the Little Legs Big Heart Foundation. Beyond her clinical practice, Bri is an active participant in Chicago’s disability art and culture scene. Her work has been exhibited at venues including The Kennedy Center and the Design Museum of Chicago, and she regularly speaks at disability conferences and community events nationally and internationally. Her artistic practice explores themes of embodiment, access, identity, and the creative possibilities that emerge from living with disability. Bri sees her clinical and artistic work not as separate pursuits, but as two expressions of the same commitment to honoring embodied practice.

Jennifer Tedesco, MPS, ATR-BC, LCAT, CCTP, is a New York based Board-Certified, Licensed Art Therapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional with over two decades of clinical experience. Her work encompasses diverse clinical, medical, and community-based contexts, both nationally and internationally, with a focus on trauma- informed care for individuals affected by complex trauma and chronic pain. She has contributed to the development and implementation of pilot programs addressing the multidimensional needs of trauma-impacted populations and has provided clinical supervision across interdisciplinary treatment settings. Her clinical framework is grounded in embodied, trauma-informed methodologies, integrating art therapy with somatic and mind–body approaches to support clients in fostering resilience and meaning-making in the aftermath of trauma, as well as in the management of chronic pain. In addition to her clinical work, she serves as adjunct faculty at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She is also an active mental health advocate, engaged in initiatives both domestically and internationally that advance equitable access to care and promote awareness of mental health.

Cindy Perkiss, PhD, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker providing psychotherapy to individuals, couples, families, and groups. Her work as a somatic psychotherapist has focused on chronic and serious illness, grief and loss, and developmental trauma. In addition, she provides supervision and training to mental health professionals and those in the Somatic Experiencing® Professional Training Program. Dr. Perkiss has over 40 years of experience as a psychotherapist and trainer, and has been studying and practicing Somatic Experiencing® since 2006 with a particular interest in the use of Somatic Experiencing® and art therapy.

About the Presenter

Casey Cline, MS, LPC, ATR-BC, LCAT, GCDF, Casey Cline is a Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT), and Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF) with 25 years of experience helping individuals navigate life’s challenges. She has worked in private practice, higher education, outpatient mental health, and community-based settings, supporting adolescents, adults, and older adults through a compassionate, person-centered approach.

About the Presenter

Juhee Kim, LPC, ATR-BC, is a licensed professional counselor and board-certified art therapist with over 15 years of experience working with adults. She is the founder of Art & Therapy Studio, PLLC, where she specializes in helping individuals heal from unresolved childhood trauma and recurring unwanted patterns, while cultivating greater self-trust through art therapy and psychotherapy. Her clinical work integrates art therapy, mindfulness, trauma-informed care, and relational approaches. She currently practices in Austin, Texas, with services offered both in-person and virtually in Illinois and Texas.

About the Presenter

Saoni Banerjee, PhD, AThR, is an art psychotherapist and psychologist by training. Presently, she is a lecturer and researcher in Art Therapy at La Trobe University, Melbourne. Raised, studied and worked in
Kolkata, India, she now integrates the creative process with reflective inquiry. Her teaching,
research, and practice draw on relational and social justice perspectives to explore ethical and
culturally responsive approaches in art therapy education and therapeutic practices. She uses
integrative approaches in her art therapy work with adult clients. Saoni is also a student of
Mahayana Buddhist philosophy, a meditation practitioner and integrates Buddhist
psychological perspectives both in her life and work.

About the Presenter

Nadia Paredes, MA, LMFT, ATR, helps people connect with their inner creativity and empower their minds and souls through her expressive arts programs. Nadia founded Nadia Paredes – Creative Studio, a bilingual resource for empowering, healing, and artistic inspiration. With expertise and training as an Art Therapist, Intuition Painting Facilitator, and Licensed Martial and Family Therapist, she creates programs for transformation, creativity, and art-making as a mindfulness practice. Nadia also works in corporate wellness as a speaker and workshop facilitator and is an Adjunct Professor and Art Therapy Supervisor at Loyola Marymount University.

Elizabeth Gerber is an art museum educator and independent consultant focused on expanding access and fostering meaningful experiences with works of art. For nearly thirty years, she has developed public programs, curriculum materials, and interpretative strategies for a wide range of audiences, often supporting wellness. Elizabeth brings a collaborative approach to teaching, strategic planning, and evaluation while consulting for art and education non-profits and throughout her 22-year tenure at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). When not facilitating art-based activities, Elizabeth can often be found hiking, kayaking, or throwing clay on a wheel.

Ping Ho, MA, MPH, is Founder/Director of Arts & Healing Initiative, which transforms lives through the innate power of the arts, guided by mental health practices, to foster healing, connection, and resilience for all. She developed Beat the Odds®, a UCLA research-based drumming program for social-emotional skill building, a creative arts therapies-informed Certificate Program in Social Emotional Arts (SEA), and a SEA Toolkit curriculum and training. Ping is Associate Editor for the creative arts therapies section of the Journal for Integrative and Complementary Medicine. She co-authored, with Erica Curtis, the 2019 National Parenting Product Association award-winning book, The Innovative Parent: Raising Connected, Happy, Successful Kids through Art.Ping Ho, MA, MPH is Founder/Director of Arts & Healing Initiative, which transforms lives through the innate power of the arts, guided by mental health practices, to foster healing, connection, and resilience for all. She developed Beat the Odds®, a UCLA research-based drumming program for social-emotional skill building, a creative arts therapies-informed Certificate Program in Social Emotional Arts (SEA), and a SEA Toolkit curriculum and training. Ping is Associate Editor for the creative arts therapies section of the Journal for Integrative and Complementary Medicine. She co-authored, with Erica Curtis, the 2019 National Parenting Product Association award-winning book, The Innovative Parent: Raising Connected, Happy, Successful Kids through Art.

Karen Satzman is Vice President of Programs at the Armory Center for the Arts in Pasadena, California, where she oversees Exhibitions, School, Studio and Community programs. After the Eaton Wildfires in 2025, fire recovery through art making, supporting artists, and collaborating with health and wellness communities became a central part of the Armory’s work.

About the Presenters

Alyssa B. Gursky, LPC, is a Transpersonal Art Therapist and Licensed Professional Counselor based in Portland, Oregon.  They received their Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, concentrating in Transpersonal Art Therapy from Naropa University. They are the owner of Psychedelic Art Therapy LLC, specializing in therapy and education for individuals and groups exploring non-ordinary states and creative practices to foster resilience and well-being. 

Alyssa is also co-author of Psychedelic Art Therapy: The Intersection of Psychedelics, Creativity, and Art Therapy and is a trained facilitator in MDMA with Lykos Therapeutics, ketamine with Ketamine Training Center and Polaris Insight Center, and psilocybin-assisted therapy with Alma Institute and Naropa University’s Center for Psychedelic Therapies. They also serve as a researcher and study therapist at the Social Neuroscience and Psychotherapy Lab, contributing to clinical trials on MDMA-Assisted Group Therapy for Transgender and Gender Diverse Veterans and Psilocybin for Major Depressive Disorder. They are passionate about community art making & mixed media art. They love connecting with others on this topic & can be reached at Alyssa@PsychedelicArtTherapy.com

Caterina Bragagnolo, ATR-BC, LCPC, EMDR-SEP, CCTS-II, is a Board Certified Art Therapist, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, EMDR & Somatic Experience Practitioner with her certification in Diversity, Culture and Social Justice in Psychedelics through the Chacruna Institute For 18 years, Caterina has been focused on supporting women and children through adverse or traumatic life experiences as well as developing community focused, art-based programming. Caterina works in private practice offering art therapy, clinical trauma counseling, art therapy, psychedelic integration and PHRI services. Her past experiences include being a Facilitator and Lead Therapist at a legal psilocybin-assisted retreat center in Jamaica and being a contributing Artist and Author for Women on Psychedelics in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Caterina is also the author of The Art & Psychedelic Integration Workbook, which will be available for purchase in July of 2026.

Rebecca Wilkinson, LPC, LCPAT, ATR-BC, CTS, is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Clinical Art Therapist with 35 years of experience in mental health care, training and education, and professional development. She is executive director of Creative Wellbeing Workshops which provides consultation, training around art therapy, stress management, and wellbeing. She is co-founder of the Psychedelic Art Therapy Network, co-author of “Psychedelic art therapy: The intersection of psychedelics, creativity, and art therapy”, “Positive art Therapy in theory and practice: Integrating positive psychology with art therapy”, and author/illustrator of “The Desert Mandalas Coloring Book”. She serves as adjunct faculty at George Washington University’s Art Therapy program.