Dr. Christianne Strang

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology

University of Alabama

Christianne Strang PhD, ATR-BC, CEDCAT-S is an art therapist with more than 30 years of clinical art therapy experience and is past president of the American Art therapy Association. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in neurobiology, behavioral neuroscience, developmental neuroscience, and creative arts therapies. Her research is focused on how visual processing is affected in disease states such as Alzheimer’s and macular degeneration. She also provides art therapy services to individuals in treatment for anorexia and bulimia.

Elizabeth Allen

Elizabeth Allen is a 2020 graduate from Temple University, with a BA in art therapy from the Tyler School of Art in Architecture, where she completed her research. She is a current first-year graduate student in Drexel University’s MA in Art Therapy and Counseling program. At Temple, she completed undergraduate fieldwork at Magee Rehabilitation Outpatient in Philadelphia, in addition to active involvement in student organizations and community arts practices. She hopes to work with children in a medical setting as a future art therapist and counselor. 

Jamie Cannon

Jamie Cannon is a recent graduate from Holy Family University with plans to continue into their graduate program. As a part of Holy Family’s Honors program, they were required to complete and present an independent research project of their choosing. Their project focused on the viability of art therapy as a treatment method for people charged with sexually based offences. Their future plans include getting my doctorate and focusing on research related to the corrections system and how to best help those who are incarcerated from reoffending upon release.

Dr. Margaret Carlock-Russo

President, The American Art Therapy Association

Prescott College

Margaret Carlock-Russo, EdD, LCAT(NY), ATR-BC, ATCS, is a board certified art therapist and licensed creative arts therapist, currently serving as the President of the American Art Therapy Association. Margaret has over 25 years of experience as an art therapist working with individuals and groups. Much of her career has been spent working with people with health conditions or impairments, learning disabilities and dementia. Most recently, she has developed Chroma Soul Arts, an organization focused on providing community groups and retreats, addressing issues of aging, social connection, self-care, and wellness. Margaret is also an associate faculty at Prescott College, coordinating their Expressive Arts Therapy Post Master’s Certificate Program.

Gary A. Smith

Co-Founder and Senior Partner, Ivy Planning Group

Gary A. Smith is cofounder and Senior Partner of Ivy Planning Group (Ivy), a 28-year-old management consulting and training company that specializes in strategy, diversity, leadership and change management. Consulting Magazine honored Mr. Smith as one of the Top 25 Consultants of 2007. Profiles in Diversity Journal named him a Diversity Pioneer. Minority Business & Professionals Network, Inc. named Mr. Smith one of “Fifty Influential Minorities in Business.” 

He has over 25 years of strategy, technology, management consulting and executive coaching to large private sector and government organizations. He has led numerous engagements to develop core business, technology, diversity, and marketing strategies leading to improved revenue performance, mission-critical improvements, and more effective customer service. Mr. Smith assists clients in solving problems. His skills in management, marketing, and information technology allow him to synthesize data to meet his clients' challenges. He has worked directly with corporate CEOs, executive teams, agency administrators, and senior officials to build strategies, facilitate challenging discussions, and achieve their organization’s vision

Kat Michel (Moderator)

Sr. Manager of Member Services, The American Art Therapy Association

Kat Michel, MA is Sr. Manager of Member Services with the American Art Therapy Association. She is responsible for member retention and recruitment and for developing programs and resources for AATA members that focus on professional development, such as continuing education offerings and virtual webinars. Additionally, she oversees online member engagement and experience through the MyAATA community. Art therapy is a cause near and dear to her heart, and in 2015 she graduated with her Master’s degree in Art Therapy from The George Washington University.

James Bulosan

Manager of Expressive Therapy, The Loretto Hospital

James Bulosan's (MAAT, ATR) scholarship interests are rooted in the application of quantitative research design to art therapy settings. He began his professional life at Rush Medical Center as a Research Director, where he managed large data sets, was involved in the analysis of data, and developed proposals for in-depth research based on outcomes studies. His research experience has informed him about the intricate details of his work as an art therapist in a medical setting, an addictions treatment program, a program for clients with disabilities, and, currently, an inpatient hospital setting for individuals dealing with acute mental illness.

At this point, James continues to apply his knowledge of research design and methods to various art therapy approaches. He has served as Ethics Chair for the Illinois Art Therapy Association, and is currently serving as a board member on the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Internal Review Board (IRB). James also maintains his work in the Chicago art scene as co-director of Lion VS Gorilla, a concept gallery focused on creating shows where artists and viewers are collaborators in an aesthetic experience, and where the integration between artists and the larger community is promoted.

Susanne Marie Bifano

Art Therapist, New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital / Columbia University Medical Center

Susanne Marie Bifano, MPS, MSED, LCAT, ATR-BC is a visual artist, Board Certified Art Therapist, and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist at New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital / Columbia University Medical Center. Susanne holds both a Masters in Art Therapy and Creativity Development from Pratt Institute and a Masters in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Miami.

Throughout her 18 years of clinical work she has co-presented internationally on mental health and urban poverty, art and writing with pediatric patients and wellness strategies for healthcare workers. Susanne’s experience spans various settings such as the public schools, transitional living spaces, department of juvenile justice, in-patient psychiatry and in-patient medical/surgical pediatric settings.  

Susan Ainlay Anand

Instructor, Art Therapist, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center

Susan Ainlay Anand, MA, ATR-BC, ATCS, LPAT is a graduate of the New York University art therapy program, and has worked with children and adults in inpatient and outpatient settings since 1983. She is a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of Mississippi Medical Center where she provides clinical services, and teaches/supervises psychiatry residents and medical students. Her clinical interests include art therapy with medically ill patients having worked extensively with cancer patients. She has published journal articles, book chapters and is co-editor of The Legacy of Edith Kramer: A Multifaceted View (Routledge, 2018). Susan provides workshops and training both in the US and abroad.

In 2019, Susan was elected to the American Art Therapy Association’s Board of Directors. She has also served on numerous committees of the Association. Her involvement with the Governmental Affairs Committee led her to work towards professional licensure for art therapists in Mississippi, which was achieved in 2000. She was a board member and the treasurer of the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATCB), and currently serves as a member of the Advisory Council of the Division of Professional Licensure with the Mississippi Department of Health.

Andrea Davis

Founder, Dallas Art Therapy

Andrea Davis, ATR-BC, LPC-AT-S, is the founder of Dallas Art Therapy, a non- profit offering art therapy services for the community. She works in private practice and as supervisor for art therapy interns. She has worked with Cook Children’s Hospital, general population and Texas Health Children’s Hospital, in/out patient mental health populations.

Heather Spooner

Lead Telehealth Creative Arts Therapist, Creative Forces

Heather Spooner, MA, ATR-BC, is faculty with the University of Florida Center for Arts in Medicine and part of the clinical team that developed the Rural Veterans’ Telerehabilitation Initiative Creative Arts Therapy (RVTRI CAT) Project with the North Florida/South Georgia VA Health System. She is currently working with Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network as their Lead Telehealth Creative Arts Therapist.

Shazia Siddiqi

Founder, Let's Art About It PLLC

Shazia Siddiqi, MA, LPC, ATR-BC is a Board Certified Art Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, and founder/owner of Let's Art About It PLLC, which has the mission to promote the use of art therapy and creative expression to develop fresh perspectives and practice new patterns that lead to personal and professional wellness and growth.

Emery Mikel

Founder and Director, Water & Stone

Emery H. Mikel, MA, ATR-BC, LCAT, LCPAT provided studio art therapy to the elderly and people living with dementia throughout the Washington, DC area until her relocation to Huntington, NY. She created and conducted her own contract service with 15-20 retirement homes. She studied Transpersonal Art Therapy at Naropa University. She is the founder and director of Water & Stone: a transpersonal and contemplative creative arts therapy collective. She also mentors therapists, supervises interns, and guest lectures at George Washington University and Nazareth College. She received her MA in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology: Art Therapy from Naropa University in Boulder, CO.

Dr. Jessica Stallings

Program Therapist and Adjunct Professor, Emporia State University

Dr. Jessica Stallings, ATR-BC, LMHP taught at Emporia State University, worked in private practice, and is currently working in partial hospitalization with children ages 5 to 12. She completed a dissertation on using popular culture with individuals with ASDs.

Pamela Ullman

Founder, Colors of Play

Pamela Ullmann, MS, ATR-BC, ATCS, LCAT is a board certified and licensed art therapist who has practiced in the field for more than 20 years, working with children and families in a variety of community and healthcare settings. She is currently working as an Art Therapist in a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit, and was previously a Program Coordinator for the Autism Program, with the Institute of Child Development in a University Medical Center. She was instrumental in developing the Art Therapy program in 2003 for the Elizabeth Seton Pediatric Center in Manhattan and subsequently served as director of the Child Life and Therapeutic Activities department there.

Pamela has an independent practice called Colors of Play, LLC and has recently formed a nonprofit organization, Healing Arts Family Connection, Inc. that provides creative arts therapy services for children with special needs and families throughout the tri-state area

Dr. Melissa Klay

Melissa Klay, Ph.D., ATR-BC, LCAT, is a licensed, registered, and Board Certified Art Therapist and a limited-permit clinical psychologist in New York. She has been providing psychotherapy services for the past 18 years, teaching as an adjunct assistant instructor at Pratt Institute, and conducting qualitative and quantitative studies.