Theresa Van Lith is currently the Course Coordinator for the Master and Graduate Diploma of Art Therapy programs at La Trobe University. Previously, she joined Florida State University's faculty, focusing on coordinating clinical placements and engaging in practical research in art therapy and mental health. Her research primarily centers on developing and implementing art therapy studies aimed at practical improvements in quality of life, assessing intervention effectiveness, and determining best practices. A significant part of her work includes the ongoing development and implementation of a practical art therapy research strategy, with a future focus on practical techniques for reducing anxiety, and stress, and improving overall mental outlook through mindfulness and art-based practices.

She actively contributes to the American Art Therapy Association, serving as Associate Editor for its academic journal. She is also a Board Member of the Australian, New Zealand, and Asian Creative Arts Therapy Association (ANZACATA). Her practical contributions to the field have been acknowledged with several awards, including the American Art Therapy Association Seed Grant (2021), the National Endowment for the Arts Research Award (2020), and the Department of Art Education Faculty Teaching Award (2019).

Hayley Arjona (MAT MFA AThR) is an Australian contemporary artist and registered art therapist dedicated to studio-based practice and social justice work. Since 2020, she has provided art therapy in the women’s prison system and family violence counseling programs. Hayley has adopted innovative ways of harnessing the transformative potential of artmaking for profound change. She designed the Expressive Post program, which to date, has engaged over 85 women in prison. Currently a guest lecturer in the Master of Art Therapy course at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Hayley teaches subjects regarding art therapy with adults and the effective application of diverse materials and processes.

Patricia (Pat) is a Registered, Board-Certified Art Therapist, licensed in New York State. For more than 30 years she directed the MS in Art Therapy program at The College of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, NY, where she developed the research component of the program, among many other initiatives. The college awarded her the title of Professor Emerita. Soon after the college closed in August 2019, due to financial difficulties, she began teaching undergraduate and graduate art therapy at Springfield College, Springfield, MA. She teaches various courses including research. She mentored over 300 master's thesis studies. As an active member of the AATA for the past 30 years, she has served on the Education & Training Board and co-chaired the Task Force for the preparation of Education Standards & Guidelines for our accreditation group, CAAHEP. She is currently a member and previous chair of the Education Committee and Research Committee, previously Associate Editor of the Journal, and previously elected to the AATA Board of Directors. She is a recipient of the AATA Research Award and the Distinguished Service Award. She has presented many papers, workshops, and panels at AATA Annual Conferences, as well as published papers in the Journal. Her mixed media artwork has been accepted into juried exhibits across the USA and internationally.

Dr. Danielle Tidwell Chen is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Registered Art Therapist, and Registered Play Therapist with over a decade of experience in art therapy and family therapy. She holds a Ph.D. in Art Education with a concentration in Art Therapy Theory and Practice from Florida State University, where she also earned her M.S. in Art Therapy. In addition, she obtained a Master's in Family Therapy from Mercer University and a B.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Studio Art from Georgia State University.

As an AAMFT Clinical Fellow and an Approved Supervisor in Training, Danielle’s research focuses on the intersections of multiracial and multicultural identities. Her work explores how art therapy and systemic theories can help individuals navigate complex identities, particularly through the lens of cultural humility and social justice. She is passionate about using response art as a tool for therapists to engage in self-reflection and personal development. Danielle has been published in the Art Therapy Journal, contributing to important discussions on identity, social justice, and therapeutic practice. Her professional affiliations include the Association for Play Therapy (APT), the American Art Therapy Association (AATA), and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).

Nancy Gerber, Ph.D, ATR-BC is Associate Clinical Professor Emerita and founding and former director of the Ph.D Program in Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University.  She currently is Teaching Faculty at Florida State University. Previously she was the Director of the Graduate Art Therapy Program at Drexel University. Dr. Gerber has presented and published on doctoral education for art therapists, mixed methods research, aesthetic intersubjective worldview in research and practice, arts-based research, and the mechanisms of change in the creative arts therapies.  She was a former vice-chair of the IRB and currently chairs the Doctoral Education Subcommittee for the American Art Therapy Association. She co-facilitates  the Arts-Based Research SIG at the International Congress of Qualitative Research.  Dr. Gerber has developed the Arts-Based Research Global Consortium to advance socially responsible arts-based research. Dr. Gerber was the first recipient of the first Distinguished Educator’s Award from the American Art Therapy Association.

Lisa D. Hinz, Ph.D., ATR-BC is a licensed clinical psychologist and board-certified art therapist. She is an associate professor and director of the Art Therapy Psychology Doctoral Program at the Dominican University of California. Dr. Hinz is the author of many professional publications and three books on art therapy. The second edition of her book, Expressive Therapies Continuum: A Framework for Using Art in Therapy was released in January 2020 and builds upon her interest in materials and methods in art therapy. Dr. Hinz specializes in the treatment of eating issues, substance abuse, and lifestyle medicine; she maintains a private practice in St. Helena, California.

Rebecca is co-founder of Creative Wellbeing Workshops which provides therapy, supervision, consultation, and training to help individuals and organizations manage stress, reduce burnout, and improve wellbeing. Creative Wellbeing Workshops is a National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) approved continuing education provider in Positive Ethics, Creativity, Art Therapy, and Positive Psychology. CWW has offices in DC and Tucson, AZ. Rebecca is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed, Registered, and Board Certified Art Therapist, and a Certified Trauma Therapist in the Instinctual Trauma Response ®. She completed the 250 hr training as a Certified Psychedelic Therapist with the Integrative Psychiatric Institute (IPI) and Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS/Lykos). Rebecca serves as adjunct faculty at the George Washington University Graduate Art Therapy Program, teaching Positive Psychology and Art Therapy, Art Therapy and Mental Illness, and Supervision.

Rebecca also served as a Wellness Specialist at the internationally renowned Miraval Spa in Arizona and a regularly featured creativity facilitator at the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts for clients affected by life-threatening illnesses and providers working with them. She was a regular trainer for Business Health Services providing professional development and training to private corporations and government agencies in the DMV area and she coordinated the Washington Adventist Hospital Expressive Therapies Department. She was awarded Clinician of the Year by the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) for outstanding contributions to art therapy for adults from diverse cultural backgrounds, her skills as a therapist, and for serving as a model of excellence in service to others. She was instrumental in developing AATA's Institute for Continuing Education and helped the Potomac Art Therapy Association and Smith Center gain NBCC provider status. She served as President of the Arizona Art Therapy Association. Rebecca's focus has been on crisis stabilization and it is through this work both personally and professionally that she has developed an appreciation for the power of the human spirit to prevail even in the darkest moments.

Specialties: trauma resolution, art therapy, psychedelic facilitation and integration, improving well-being, creativity, end-of-life issues, crisis stabilization, stress management, burnout prevention, substance abuse, codependency, affect regulation, group presentation, positive psychology, individual psychotherapy, ethics.

Amelia Laver, originally from the UK is a qualified Attorney, who later became inspired to pursue a career as an Expressive Arts Therapist, after being in a workshop with acclaimed Art Therapist, Rebecca Wilkinson. She has been working with psychedelic medicine for 3 years, facilitating 1:1 sessions with MDMA and Psilocybin mushrooms, holding workshops on micro-dosing, and utilizing Expressive Arts Therapy tools that she gained during her first year's training and internship whilst enrolled in the Masters of Expressive Arts Program. Since then she has pivoted from that program to pursue licensure to work with psychedelic medicine.

Charmaine Husum RCAT, DKATI, RTC, CT is a Professional Artist, Registered Canadian Art Therapist, Registered Therapeutic Counsellor, and Kundalini Yoga & Meditation teacher. Within her private Somatic Art Therapy Practice, Centre of the HeArt she supports clients both in person and online to move through difficult experiences from trauma, depression, anxiety, suicidality, addiction, and other mental health symptoms towards a path of transcendence and healing.

Helping people find a personalized route to healing using trauma-informed art therapy, clinical psychotherapeutic approaches, transpersonal psychology, mindfulness, yoga, and somatic counseling is the foundation of her work. Believing that true and lasting healing lives within every individual; the work she does focuses on one’s inner strength, power, and innate capacity to thrive beyond difficult experiences in life.

For the past 10 years, she has also been working to help others prepare for and Integrate the powerful experiences that take place during Altered States of Consciousness and Psychedelic Journeys. To support this, she teaches courses and workshops both online and in person around the world using Art Therapy, Dreamwork, Somatic Processes, Kundalini Meditation, and Yoga that follow the trauma-informed protocols outlined by Bessel van der Kolk and Judith Herman. They can be found at www.courses.centreoftheheart.com.

Buvenasvari Pragasam, MA, AThS, is an art therapist based in Singapore who holds a Master of Arts in Art Therapy from Goldsmiths, University of London (delivered by LASALLE College of the Arts). With over seven years of clinical experience, including extensive clinical placements, Buvenasvari has honed her expertise in working with individuals facing complex trauma. Since 2018, she has been at the helm of Solace Art Psychotherapy, a private practice and social enterprise dedicated to providing art psychotherapy. Her practice serves both youth and adults in various settings, including private and public sectors. Buvenasvari has also been an arts-based clinical supervisor, trained by ANZACATA since 2021. Additionally, Buvenasvari Pragasam is the author of "Increase Self Awareness: A 30-Day Practice," a resource book designed to enhance self-awareness through art.

Natalia was born in Bogotá, Colombia. She received a degree in Psychology from the Universidad de Los Andes in 1998, after completing her thesis on adolescent relationships. Natalia received a master’s in art therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) in May 2005. She is a Registered Board-Certified Art Therapist with the American Association of Art Therapy.  Natalia is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Integral and Transpersonal Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). She was a co-founder and President of the Colombian Art Therapy Association, taught at universities, frequently presents at International Mental Health Conferences, and is a published author. She has practiced as an art psychotherapist for more than 20 years in Bogota, Chicago, New York, Muscat, and now Dubai. Natalia is trained in psychodynamics and uses and adapts different techniques and modalities according to the needs of each person. 

Natalia has focused on issues related to immigration, acculturation, decolonizing art therapy, including indigenous aspects, and developing a culturally sensitive art therapy approach. She also teaches classes on art therapy and creativity at institutes and Universities. Natalia enjoys working with people from all over the world. She speaks English and Spanish fluently and is a 300HR Jivamukti Yoga Teacher.

Alison is a Registered, Board-Certified Art Therapist and LMHC/LPC and has worked as an art therapist for eight years across schools, communities, and juvenile justice facilities. Most recently, Alison traveled to India to facilitate arts-based social-emotional learning workshops for children and a workshop on trauma and the arts in counseling. Alison also served as a Guide for a Master’s Student Thesis at MIT Pune, India in 2023. She expects to complete her doctoral degree at the University of Alabama in Educational Research in Spring 2025. Alison’s expertise is in using art therapy with trauma, multicultural populations, and in the public school system.

Vishakha has a Master’s of Arts in Yogic Science and a Bachelor’s of Design in Fashion Communication. Her interests include teaching Communication, Graphics, Illustration, Yogic Science, Art Therapy, & Holistic Healing. Vishakha teaches at Woxsen University in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, where she facilitates courses and international workshops in: Fashion Illustration, Fashion Merchandising, Fashion Styling & Photography, and Publication Design. Vishakha’s recent publications include “Women behind wheels exploring the clay pottery from Thiruchigadi, Nilgiris, Tamil Nādu women behind wheels exploring the clay pottery from Thiruchigadi, Nilgiris, Tamil nādu,” in the Journal of Visual and Performing Arts and in the International Journal Of Novel Research And Development on therapeutic yogic techniques for improving sleep of youth populations.

Megha Ananth is currently a Bachelor of Design in Fashion Design Student at Woxsen University Hyderabad, Telangana. Her fields of interest include Fashion Design, Illustrations, Graphic Design, Film making, Communications, and works of Art and Dance. Megha is a leader both in class and outside of class. She believes that art is a medium that can be explored in many different ways, and this is her life motto.

Natalee Bigger Stockdale completed her master's degree from Adler Graduate School in 2020. She is a Board-Certified Art Therapist, a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in the state of Minnesota, and a Nationally Certified Counselor. She currently works in private practice and specializes in working with clients who have experienced complex trauma. She understands the complex nature of exiting a high-demand/cultic group and the labor that recovery entails. She works to bring attuning sensitivity, along with evidence-based multimodal therapeutic models, to her clients with gentleness. Natalee is passionate about sharing her knowledge and skills with other survivors and the professionals working with them. Natalee aims to promote awareness of the unique struggles in recovery from complex trauma, coercive control, and self-alienation through ways art therapy can foster healing.

Ashlen Hilliard is a Cult Intervention Specialist and the founder of People Leave Cults. Most days, you'll find her helping families with loved ones in cultic or high-control groups or relationships. She also offers psychoeducation services for survivors of coercion and recently started support groups for cult survivors. She holds an MSc in the Psychology of Coercive Control and conducted the first exploratory quantitative research on the relationship between reproductive coercion, psychologically abusive environments, and the extent of group identity in a sample of those who have left cultic groups.

Ashlen's experience in the cult recovery field started on the front lines - helping individuals leave various polygamist communities in the Western US. From there, she went on to be the Director of Events for the International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA), where she organized workshops, webinars, and conferences for a diverse range of people involved in the cult phenomenon. Currently, in addition to offerings through People Leave Cults, she volunteers as a co-organizer of the Spiritual Abuse Forum for Education (SAFE) Meetup in Portland, Oregon. In May of 2024, she just completed organizing her second conference for survivors and helping professionals in the PNW, bringing people together from all across the country. She hopes to grow her network and create opportunities for up-and-coming cult specialists. As a member of the queer community, Ashlen is thrilled to be part of the new wave of helping professionals in the cult recovery field.

Dr. Erin Falconer provides psychotherapy and consultation for individuals and their families who are dealing with the effects of coercive control, cultic abuse, and complex trauma. Dr. Falconer completed her MSW at Columbia University in New York, and her PhD in Psychology, which focused on the neuroscience of trauma, at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. She also completed post-graduate study in the psychology of coercive control at the University of Salford (UK). She also has advanced training in trauma-focused therapies at the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy in New York. She provides psychotherapy as a part of Refuge Psychotherapy, LCSW, PLLC.

Nancy Gerber, Ph.D, ATR-BC is Associate Clinical Professor Emerita and founding and former director of the Ph.D Program in Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University.  She currently is Teaching Faculty at Florida State University. Previously she was the Director of the Graduate Art Therapy Program at Drexel University. Dr. Gerber has presented and published on doctoral education for art therapists, mixed methods research, aesthetic intersubjective worldview in research and practice, arts-based research, and the mechanisms of change in the creative arts therapies.  She was a former vice-chair of the IRB and currently chairs the Doctoral Education Subcommittee for the American Art Therapy Association. She co-facilitates  the Arts-Based Research SIG at the International Congress of Qualitative Research.  Dr. Gerber has developed the Arts-Based Research Global Consortium to advance socially responsible arts-based research. Dr. Gerber was the first recipient of the first Distinguished Educator’s Award from the American Art Therapy Association.

Theresa Van Lith is currently the Course Coordinator for the Master and Graduate Diploma of Art Therapy programs at La Trobe University. Previously, she joined Florida State University's faculty, focusing on coordinating clinical placements and engaging in practical research in art therapy and mental health. Her research primarily centers on developing and implementing art therapy studies aimed at practical improvements in quality of life, assessing intervention effectiveness, and determining best practices. A significant part of her work includes the ongoing development and implementation of a practical art therapy research strategy, with a future focus on practical techniques for reducing anxiety, and stress, and improving overall mental outlook through mindfulness and art-based practices.

She actively contributes to the American Art Therapy Association, serving as Associate Editor for its academic journal. She is also a Board Member of the Australian, New Zealand, and Asian Creative Arts Therapy Association (ANZACATA). Her practical contributions to the field have been acknowledged with several awards, including the American Art Therapy Association Seed Grant (2021), the National Endowment for the Arts Research Award (2020), and the Department of Art Education Faculty Teaching Award (2019).

Madeline Centracchio is an outpatient art therapist within the Medical University of South Carolina’s Arts in Healing program. She works with clients across the lifespan with a focus on children and adolescents in the school setting experiencing behavioral or emotional diagnoses or difficulties. Madeline is from Murrells Inlet, South Carolina where she found passions for art, the beach, and developing community. Madeline graduated from the College of Charleston and completed her Master of Science in Art Therapy from Florida State University. She also works on research teams exploring arts-based research and implementing a strategic plan for art therapy research.