August 10, 2017
Theresa Van Lith, Ph.D., ATR, AThR, moved from Melbourne, Australia in 2013 to join the Art Therapy program at Florida State University (FSU), where she currently works as an Assistant Professor and Clinical Coordinator. She has primarily worked in community and acute mental health facilities with a focus on using art therapy as a coping and meaning-making tool. Dr. Van Lith serves on the AATA Research Committee and Multicultural Sub-Committee, and on the Editorial Board for Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association.
Dr. Van Lith’s current research interests include: art therapy professional development, art therapy service delivery models within mental health services, art therapy evaluation models for mental health services, and mixed method and art-based research methods in art therapy. These interests have recently presented her with opportunities to collaborate with art therapists from Iran and Ukraine and to work with specific clinical populations including children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and children from Latino Farmworker families. To read more about her research, see Dr. Van Lith’s bio on FSU’s website.
Dr. Van Lith describes how art therapy is effective by stating, “The art therapist uses art materials in a therapeutic capacity, with specific intentions to help the client find meaning in their imagery. As a result, the client can experience a visceral connection to his or her experiences and therefore can have an authentic expression of the self.” Topics within the field particularly important to her include: making art therapy part of mainstream healthcare practices, enhancing collaborative efforts between art therapy practitioners and researchers to enable improvements in best practice, increasing funding for art therapy researchers, and developing strategies to enhance diversity in art therapy within education, the AATA, as well as in clinical practice.
