Through her expressive arts programs, Nadia Paredes helps people connect with their inner creativity and empower their minds and souls. 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.

Nisha Sajnani, PhD, RDT-BCT is the Director of the Program in Drama Therapy and Theatre & Health Lab at NYU Steinhardt. She is also on faculty at NYU Stern where she teaches improvisation and leadership and with the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma where she lectures on the role of the arts in global mental health. She is a co-founding, and co-director of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab, established as a collaboration between the WHO Regional Office for Europe, NYU Steinhardt, Culturunners, and Community Jameel, with a mission to measurably improve lives through the arts.

Recent publications include a commentary for the National Endowment for the Arts on realizing the potential of the arts in clinical and public health, a co-edited ebook on the psychological and physiological benefits of the arts, a special issue of the Arts in Psychotherapy on intersectionality and the ethics of care, and the first WHO policy brief on the role of the arts in supporting the mental wellbeing of people who are forcibly displaced. Her performance and curatorial practice reflect concerns with memory, placemaking, and migration. Dr. Sajnani leads the Jameel Arts & Health Lab - Lancet Global Series on the health benefits of the arts, in collaboration with the WHO. She is the principal editor of Drama Therapy Review and serves on the editorial boards of The Arts in Psychotherapy and the Journal of Applied Arts & Health.

Marygrace Berberian, MA, MSW, LCAT, ATR-BC, LCSW, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Graduate Art Therapy Program at New York University. Marygrace has established school-based art therapy initiatives throughout New York City for at-risk children and families for almost 20 years. Ms. Berberian is also the Director of NYU Art Therapy in the Schools program. She led a research initiative examining the impact of art therapy on the self-esteem, affect regulation, and impulse control of public school students. She has published work on the use of art therapy for post-disaster recovery and also implications for cross-cultural practice. Marygrace has presented at interdisciplinary conferences nationally and internationally.

Marygrace has trained clinicians of other disciplines advocating for the use of creative arts therapies as a highly efficient treatment modality. She formerly developed and directed the creative arts therapy program at several community-based agencies, working with children and adolescents at risk, formerly homeless and mentally ill adults, and survivors of cancer. Ms. Berberian is also trained as a Sandplay Therapy Practioner and maintains a private practice in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Currently, Marygrace is a student in the PhD Creative Arts Therapies Program at Drexel University examining artwork created by military service members.

Yazmany Arboleda (b. 1981, Colombian-American) is an artist, community organizer, and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. He serves as the first People's Artist for New York City at the Civic Engagement Commission and is the Founder of The People's Creative Institute. An architect by training, Yazmany's art practice fosters community connections through expansive public art initiatives. In 2022, as the lead creative producer for Little Amal Walks NYC, he designed 55 events experienced by more than 100,000 people across all five boroughs. He holds the role of Senior Artistic Advisor for the Community Art Network and has been previously commissioned by Carnegie Hall, the Yale School of Management, and the United Nations.

> NYC People's Artist for, NYC Civic Engagement Commission
> Senior Artistic Advisor, Community Arts Network
> Founder & Chief Artistic Officer, The People's Creative Institutex

Lidice Cohen is a registered art therapist with the American Art Therapy Association (AATA) and the Canadian Art Therapy Association (CATA). She holds a Masters in Professional Studies (MPS) in art therapy and is currently a PhD candidate in Expressive Therapies. Additionally, she is a Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist for Individuals.

Lidice is a passionate advocate for art therapy, facilitating workshops and speaking at conferences on integrating spirituality and art therapy and the benefits of expressive therapies and trauma, both locally and internationally. Her diverse clientele includes hospice patients, individuals struggling with substance abuse, grief and loss, and youth within the correctional system. She offers both in-person and virtual sessions to meet diverse needs.

As a published researcher, Lidice is actively involved in studying virtual reality as a medium for art therapy, contributing valuable insights to the field.

Bihter Yasemin Adalı is an expressive arts therapist versed in the practice of Tamalpa Life/Arts Process. As a founding member of Arts Psychotherapies Association founded in Turkey in 2012, she continues to contribute to the growing field of Arts and Healthcare as the chair of the board of directors.

Since 2013, she has been a lecturer/trainer at a pioneering graduate certificate program offered at Istanbul University, Istanbul School of Medicine’s Foundation of the Psychiatry Clinic. The certificate program originated by Nurhan Eren in 2011, trains artists and mental health specialists in the practice of expressive arts therapy with the psychiatric population along with individuals faced with chronic physical health conditions. Bihter Yasemin Adali’s research interests and therapy practices focus on expressive arts therapy with adults, adults with attachment difficulties, and more recently with children going through chronic illnesses such as cancer, allergy asthma, and renal failure, as well as other atypical psychosomatic conditions.

Seyma received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey in 2005. Later on, she received her Master of Arts degree from La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA, in Clinical Counseling Psychology, in 2007; and her Ph.D. degree from Lesley University, Cambridge, MA in Expressive Therapies, in 2020. Her dissertation topic is ‘‘The Experience of Equanimity Expressed Through Art: How Artmaking Facilitates the Practice of Equanimity.’’ Seyma started her career at Central Behavioral Health Center, Norristown, PA, as an individual and group psychological counselor. Ever since she returned to her home country Turkey, she has been working in private practice as a psychotherapist, instructor, and supervisor. She was in the translation committee of several books and published a poetry book. She co-authored a chapter on the basics of art therapy and is currently working on a book on art therapy and inner resources.

Art therapist Aslıhan Özcan Morey got her Sociology and Psychology degree at Koç University in 2005. In 2008, she graduated from Lesley University with a Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy. In 2009, she got licensed as Assistant Licensed Professional Psychological Counselor. She worked with adults suffering from chronic mental illnesses at Tewksbury State Hospital and Riverside Psychiatric Day Treatment Center between 2006 and 2008, and with pediatric patients suffering from physical trauma and chronic illnesses and their families at Kosair Children's Hospital in 2009. In 2010-2011, she went back to Turkey and offered art therapy in three state hospitals for pediatric oncology-hematology services. Between 2011 and 2015, she worked in Psychiatry and Women's Health Clinics at American Hospital in Istanbul. In 2015, she started working with pediatric patients with chronic illnesses and their families at Koç University Hospital and she is still employed in this position. She designed and supervised two arts based volunteer projects targeting pediatric oncology patients. In 2019, she started a child life and expressive therapies program at the hospital named as "Happy Child and Happy Family Program".

Asli Arslanbek is a board-certified art therapist and an assistant professor of art therapy at The University of Tampa. Her research interests and clinical experiences revolve around art therapy with forcibly displaced persons. She is also interested in indigenous and traditional art forms and the implications of such practices in art therapy. She has published in several peer-reviewed journals including Frontiers in Psychology, The Arts in Psychotherapy, Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association and Canadian Journal of Art Therapy.

Saoni is a qualified art therapist and psychologist. She comes with 15 years of work experience in the mental health field and over a decade as an art therapist in India. Concurrently she has been an academic in various higher degree institutions across India with 10 years of experience in teaching psychology at an undergraduate level and supervising student research at undergraduate and postgraduate level. She uses eclectic art therapy approaches in her clinical and community work. Her expertise is in working with adults with psychosocial adjustment issues and clinical diagnoses and children with trauma experience. She has collaborated with organizations nationally and internationally to conduct art therapy workshops, training & seminars with mental health professionals, educators, and students. A professional-level member of ANZACATA, Saoni is currently a lecturer in the Masters Arts Therapy course at La Trobe University, Melbourne, and focusing on expanding her postdoctoral research work using arts-based practices and mixed method research.

Huma Durrani has published her doctoral research on autism and art therapy in academic journals and presented her work internationally. In her memoir, "Wrapped in Blue," she documents her journey of raising her 26-year-old son with autism. Her most recent book, "Sensory-Based Relational Art Therapy (S-BRATA): Supporting Psycho-Emotional Needs in Children with Autism," was published in December 2020. Additionally, her paper "Art Therapy’s Scope to Address Impaired Attachment in Children With ASD and Comorbid SID" was awarded the "Best Paper Award" for the year 2020 by the American Art Therapy Association.

Gretchen M. Miller, ATR-BC, ACTP is a Northeast Ohio Registered Board Certified Art Therapist and Advanced Certified Trauma Practitioner. Her art therapy clinical work has included serving youth and adults impacted by trauma and loss. Gretchen is also an art therapy educator, regional, national, and international speaker, author, supervisor, and community organizer. Recently, Gretchen co-edited The Art and Art Therapy of Papermaking: Material, Methods, and Applications published by Routledge in 2023.

Meredith McMackin is a Registered Art Therapist and Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Washington. She received an MFA in Studio Art, an MS in Art Therapy, and a PhD in Art Education from Florida State University, where she researched the therapeutic process of hand papermaking with student veterans. Her art therapy clinical work has included serving adults impacted by trauma and loss. Meredith currently works as a creative arts therapist with the Vancouver VA Medical Center in Vancouver, Washington.

Annie 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.